The Ramses Exchange is a telecoms building in central Cairo that is a focal point of the Internet in Egypt. It is situated at 26 Ramses Street.[1]

Reports related to the 2011 Internet shutdown in Egypt refer to the Ramses Exchange as the location where the shut down was effected by powering down parts of the exchange.[2] The Ramses Exchange, located near the center of Cairo [3] is the main "wire center" for Telecom Egypt, carrying not only municipal telecommunications traffic, but also serving as the main point of entry for international submarine fiber-optic circuits, back-hauled from landing stations near Alexandria.

The Ramses Exchange is also the location of the Cairo Internet Exchange (CAIX).[4] This IX is provides connections between all the major in-country operators in Egypt[5] Additionally; it once housed the Cairo Regional Internet Exchange (CRIX),[6] which once claimed it was the largest Internet exchange in North Africa or the Middle East.[7]

References

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  1. ^ James Glanz and John Markoff (February 15, 2011). "Egypt Leaders Found 'Off' Switch for Internet". New York Times. Quote: "The engineers say that a focal point of the attack was an imposing building at 26 Ramses Street in Cairo, just two and a half miles from the epicenter of the protests, Tahrir Square."
  2. ^ Ryan Singel (February 10, 2011). "Report: Egypt Turned Off the Net With a Big Switch, Not Phone Calls". Wired.
  3. ^ "Google Maps aerial view of the Ramses Exchange".
  4. ^ Cairo Internet Exchange FAQ
  5. ^ CAIX Member List
  6. ^ Telecom, FLAG. "FLAG Telecom announces launch of CR-IX, the new internet exchange in Egypt -collaboration with National Telecom Company establishes new internet exchange for the region". www.prnewswire.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  7. ^ "Detail view of Cairo Regional Internet Exchange". Packet Clearing House.

See also

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30°04′01″N 31°15′42″E / 30.066979°N 31.261744°E / 30.066979; 31.261744