Thursday March 28th, 2024
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A Notification You Actually Need in Egypt

A new governmental online service allows Egyptians to sign up for notifications that will let them know if and when the electricity will cut in their area and for how long.

Staff Writer

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at home. The air-con is blowing at a cool 22 degrees. Medium fan, obviously. It’s been a long day, and your phone battery is as close to zero as the laws of physics will allow before it turns off, so you plug it into the charger. You’re streaming the latest episode of whatever HBO/AMC/Netflix produced show you and all your friends are obsessed with. All of a sudden, the world collapses around you, or at least it seems that way. Everyone states the obvious: "El kahraba ata3et!" So now you’re sitting in a hot, sweaty mess, with no phone, and the stream has stopped in the middle of a pivotal scene. All you want is a bit of a warning so you know not to be doing anything important when the power goes out.

Now, thanks to the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, that fantasy may be a reality very soon. They are planning on rolling out an online service that will tell you when the power will be cutting out in your area, and for how long. Although this service is still in the beta-testing phase, and has only been rolled out in Nasr City so far, it is an encouraging sign that the Egyptian government is looking to the modern day, and attempting to use the internet as a tool. Although this service won’t fix the issue of power outages, it’s nice to know when they're coming at least. You can sign up to be notified when the service will be working in your area here.