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Free Internet Access Is Profitable In Egypt

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fat-cats-splitting-quarters dept.

prostoalex writes "With the demise of free Internet access providers, it's interesting to see this model working in Egypt, where the state-owned telecom allows people to dial-up for free as long as they pay the regular phone access fees. Associated Press quotes the phone line charges being 25 cents per hour. The ISPs that promote free Internet access from Telecom Egypt are then given their share of the profit."

2 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Slashdot discovers hot water by hysterion · · Score: 5, Informative
    Where have you been?!?

    It's not just Egypt, it's any place with no flat local phone rates, i.e. basically everywhere except North America . Example: it's the standard in Switzerland.

    (See also Estonia, Brazil, Portugal, India, Ireland, Argentina, Guatemala, England, Poland, ...)

    Slashdot editors need to get out more.

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    Timeo idiotikOS et dona ferentes
  2. Why Single out Egypt? by evilviper · · Score: 5, Informative

    Free Internet can work anywhere that people are already paying per-minute for local phone calls. It doesn't work in the US where unlimited local calls are free.

    I think it would be more appropriate to call it "Free Internet Fails in USA, works everywhere else"

    Anyone know why Egypt is getting singled out?

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    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant