There is a huge disparity in wages in Egypt. A schoolteacher, for example, makes about LE 200 ($43)a month. This is also about what someone working for the government makes. Someone in the private sector with a good education can make about LE 500 ($109) a month, or maybe LE 1000 ($218) in an average kind of job. This makes computers out of the price range of most of the population (without even thinking about Internet access). An hour a day on the Internet would take a fairly large chunk of money from most family's income.
Internet in Egypt is something only a small percentage of the population can afford. The government also has some Internet cafes, which it lets people use for LE 1 (22 cents)an hour, and there are also commercial cafes, which charge about $1.50 an hour. This makes sense for most Egyptians, as it means they don't have to buy a computer. Computers in Egypt cost about the same as they do in the US or Europe, which is beyond the means of many.
In reality, "free" Internet is pretty expensive in Egypt for the average user. Although, that hasn't stopped families stretching their budgets to buy the latest and greatest mobile phones. There are about 3 million mobile phone users, compared with only 900,000 Internet users.
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There is a huge disparity in wages in Egypt. A schoolteacher, for example, makes about LE 200 ($43)a month. This is also about what someone working for the government makes. Someone in the private sector with a good education can make about LE 500 ($109) a month, or maybe LE 1000 ($218) in an average kind of job. This makes computers out of the price range of most of the population (without even thinking about Internet access). An hour a day on the Internet would take a fairly large chunk of money from most family's income. Internet in Egypt is something only a small percentage of the population can afford. The government also has some Internet cafes, which it lets people use for LE 1 (22 cents)an hour, and there are also commercial cafes, which charge about $1.50 an hour. This makes sense for most Egyptians, as it means they don't have to buy a computer. Computers in Egypt cost about the same as they do in the US or Europe, which is beyond the means of many. In reality, "free" Internet is pretty expensive in Egypt for the average user. Although, that hasn't stopped families stretching their budgets to buy the latest and greatest mobile phones. There are about 3 million mobile phone users, compared with only 900,000 Internet users.