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For the First Time in Egypt

Vodafone Offers New “Flex Bundle” with Unlimited Benefits

After the wide spread of Vodafone Flex bundles recently, Vodafone Egypt announced the introduction of a new Flex bundle option, whereby the customer can still use their remaining Flexes when he/she renews the bundle, and they are not finished when the bundle is finished and instead they are added to the following month.

Vodafone Egypt presents a new concept of bundles for the first time in Egypt, which will reflect positively on the satisfaction of the customers and in helping them to make the best use of their bundles.

Vodafone Flex Bundles are considered the most successful, most popular and most used in Egypt, because of the saving offers that are full of services and specialties, whereby the customer can choose a Flex Bundle ranging from 400 units and up to 3500 units to be used according to their preferences with Vodafone network and other networks. In addition, the Flex units can be transferred into any number and Flex 365 gifts along with many other offers.

The “Extended Flex” Bundle is a first choice and most suitable for all customers and provides the customer with the option of transferring the remaining Flex Units to the following month and it is in line with answering the customers’ requests and Vodafone keenness to provide the best service for its customers, which makes Vodafone always in the lead with its new innovative ideas that answer its customers’ needs.

Vodafone Egypt, the World’s no. 1 Mobile Carrier, renews its Partnership with CIB; the leading private-sector bank in Egypt

Vodafone Egypt has renewed its partnership with the Commercial International Bank (CIB) in Egypt. The leading private-sector bank in Egypt with highest market share in the banking sector, the renewal with CIB, completes Vodafones success story in the development of the banking sector.

Within the framework of this partnership, Vodafone Egypt has offered numerous services and technological solutions supporting CIB in its customer servicing, as well as safely and efficiently coping with regional and global developments that mean that the financial and banking market are continuously in need to development and updates.

Talking about the renewed agreement, Mr. Mohamed AbdAllah, Enterprise Business Unit Director for Vodafone, said, “We are pleased with this partnership, as we always seeking to offer updated solutions and services for our clients in the Egyptian business sectors. We aim to help our clients in facing the market’s challenges and changes. Our main goal as Vodafone Egypt is to satisfy our customers.”

Mr. Mohamed AbdAllah mentioned that Vodafone Egypt has offered several services for CIB Egypt’s branches, including internet connections and wireless communications to achieve the highest level of safety, privacy and speed besides serving offering services to more than 180 branches of the bank. In addition, Vodafone Egypt, has offered short messages and advertising message services that amount to more than 3 million text messages a month and that depend on Vodafone’s strong and extensive coverage network, to achieve the highest levels of privacy and safety for CIB customers’ accounts.

For his part, Mr. Zakaria Nabil, Head of Government Sales for Vodafone Egypt, said, “Vodafone Egypt has succeeded in serving more than 600 automated teller machines (ATMs), all over Egypt, in addition to serving more than 5,000 employees in CIB. We offer the best voice and internet services, to help CIB maintain customer satisfaction and achieve the highest levels of success.

Mr. Mohamed Sultan, Chief Operating Officer at CIB Egypt, added to Voadafone’s comments, saying, “This unique partnership with Vodafone Egypt, offers an innovative concept to the bank servicing sector, by providing non-traditional electronic solutions and helping effectively in attracting new categories to the banking system.” Mr. Sultan added that, in this era of mobile phones with a penetration rate of over 110% compared to that of the banking services sector, there was a bigger opportunity for growth of the banking sector and a better chance for them to increase their client base, through this strategic partnership. “The bank had its own strategic plan for digital transformation, to convert the bank transactions from their regular to electronic state. We are taking our first steps towards an economy that depends less on paper money and more on innovation that will attract people to the banking sector”.

Mr. Amr El Ganainy, Head of Corporate Relations Sector in CIB Egypt, stated that the continuity of the unique partnership with Vodafone Egypt shows the importance of banking institutions’ union with leading communication companies to provide positive results that can help widen the range of customers under the umbrella of banking services. He also added, “With the continuous development of technology, electronic banking services are an important priority for CIB Egypt. By offering a package of electronic banking solutions that satisfying our customers’ needs and offering an innovative banking model as well as focusing on the competencies, personal experiences and techniques of CIB Egypt, and in partnership with Vodafone Egypt, we can offer our customers more.”

CIB Egypt, is the top bank in the Egyptian private sector and offers a wide range of products and banking services for their customers whether individuals or companies. The bank provides many financial solutions and works with more than 500 leading companies, in Egypt. CIB Egypt has also succeeded in maintaining its position as the best commercial bank; achieving its target and earnings in Egypt for more than 40 years, thanks to the leadership of their management, high standards of transparency and distinctive training programs for their employees.

Vodafone collaborates with Youm7 to create new exciting services for “Business” customers

Vodafone announced its new partnership with Youm 7, making it a part of the group of local and international organizations providing “Sherkety” (My Company) service to Vodafone Business accounts customers. Sherkety aims at providing numerous services and benefits for company owners. The partnership with Youm 7 creates new offers that allows Vodafone Business customers to feature their work on Youm 7 website through crediting and exchanging points from bills on Sherkety website.

This partnership comes in line with Vodafone’s keenness to provide various services and initiatives that can develop the labor market and strengthen the Egyptian economy.

Sherkety comprises more than 30 companies operating in different fields, including Le Pacha, Sarmady, Crave, electronics and home appliances companies such as Tradeline, Mobile Shop, RadioShack, Computer Shop, Smart Homes, as well as furniture companies like Divano, Hanimex, in addition to shipping companies, print, and car companies like Rawas. Now with the new partnership, Youm 7 will provide customers with all necessary means that can help them increase their productivity.

Furthermore, Vodafone Business customers can now enjoy special promotions on products and services on Sherkety that includes discounts on Bestbuy and Bernasos products, residential discounts on Helnan International Hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh and Movenpick in Aswan, 50% discount on Wuzzuf subscription fees, and loyalty points for advertising on Youm 7.

Sherkety is powered by Dsquares, which specializes in establishing, developing, and managing loyalty programs to the biggest Middle-Eastern companies starting from technology, signing business deals with the biggest brands in the market, managing businesses, offering technical and financial support, and all the way to providing detailed reports of Vodafone Business user’s purchase behaviors in order to offer them better services.

Vodafone Egypt launches “E3rafli” app to serve 4 mn visually impaired customers

Vodafone Egypt, the leading mobile operator in Egypt and the world, has launched a new application for smartphones called "E3rafli". The application is designed to empower the visually impaired community and support them in overcoming life’s daily challenges. E3rafli comes as part of Vodafone’s vision and strategy to focus on meaningful products and services for different segments of the community, in addition to creating a "common value".

Ayman Essam, Director of Legal & External Affairs at Vodafone Egypt, said that the “E3rafli” application was created to support the visually impaired community in overcoming critical daily challenges. The application combines multiple features, which will enable the visually impaired to determine colors, charge Vodafone scratch cards, read barcodes, recognize taxi fares, by reading taxi meters, as well as counting and recognizing the value of bills.

Essam went on to add, “The ‘E3rafli ’ digital solution was born from the company’s belief in the rights of our customers with special needs. They too, have the right to enjoy all the privileges and services the company provides. The E3rafli application was launched to achieve greater social integration of the visually impaired within the society.”

By launching the E3rafli application, Vodafone has succeeded in making our products and services inclusive for all our users, allowing us to reach a wider range of customers, whilst promoting inclusive services for persons with visual disabilities. Vodafone Egypt has become the first mobile operator to enable the visually impaired community within Egypt, catering to a community of more than 4 million Egyptians.

Ayman Essam confirmed that ”E3rafli” highlights Vodafone Egypt's keen interest in community services that can be provided through developing the right technology to serve people with disabilities to allow these communities to contribute more extensively in the country's sustainability and social development.

Hany Mahmoud appointed as the new Chairman of Vodafone Egypt, replacing Ian Gray

Vodafone Egypt announced today that Eng. Hany Mahmoud will join the company as its new Chairman, replacing Mr. Ian Gray who held this position for 17 years. Having helped Vodafone lead the telecom market in Egypt, Mr. Ian contributed significantly to the successes of the company during his tenure. Eng. Hany will assume his new position following the General Assembly’s approval on the resolution.

With more than 30 years of experience under his belt, Eng. Hany Mahmoud has sustained very successful achievements globally as well as locally in variable fields, most prominently in Telecom, Industry, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, and Management.

Eng. Hany worked with Vodafone Group for 11 years, during which time, he held several senior positions before being appointed as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology in 2012 and Ministry Of State For Administrative Development in 2013.

Vodafone Egypt brings the best Ramadan series to its customers through the “Vodafone TV” Service

Putting its slogan "Power to You" into action, Vodafone Egypt, announced the launch of “Vodafone TV”, a new Video on Demand service that enables its customers to watch TV series on their mobile screens. The new service affirms Vodafone’s position as the world's most renowned mobile operator; consistently providing its customers with the newest updates, innovation and evolution in the world of digital technology.

During a press conference held today to announce the launch of the service, Youssir Taher, Head of the Added Services and Internet Division at Vodafone Egypt, stated that Vodafone Egypt is keen on providing the latest digital services to its customers in line with current global trends that rely entirely on digital content. “Being the strongest network in Egypt, Vodafone is able to take digital content in Egypt to a whole new level. Vodafone TV offers the opportunity for users to watch all Ramadan’s TV series combined in one place, through the network’s high speed internet and without Ads.” Youssir added.

The service, powered by the No. 1 Network in Egypt, offers an exceptional viewing experience for Ramadan’s TV Series anytime and anywhere; utilizing Vodafone’s maximum internet speed with no commercial breaks interrupting the shows. “Vodafone TV” is available to customers for only 1 EGP per day through mobile devices or tablets. Customers can visit the “Vodafone TV" website or download the "Ana Vodafone" application to enjoy the service.

Vodafone Egypt’s commitment to maintaining its No. 1 Network position in Egypt is not only reflected through quality, prices and service, but also by providing value-added services such as Vodafone TV, that satisfies customers’ needs and guarantees that they stay ahead of the curve in the world of technology and the internet services.

Elaborating on this point, Youssir highlighted how the launch of 4G services in Egypt were expected to lead to the extensive growth of mobile internet usage, offering a great opportunity to provide strong digital content, in line with the rapid development of services. "Working on meeting customers’ needs, some of the biggest companies have now started to produce digital content exclusively for internet users, emphasizing the importance of this field now and also its potential for growth over the coming period,” Youssir went on to say.

Vodafone is the first mobile network in Egypt to launch such a service to its customers; showing that they really do give the power to their customers. The series offered on the application will be available right after the end of the show on TV, with a variety of choices to suit the needs and tastes of all customers. The service will offer more than 30 of the best TV series in Ramadan in cooperation with leading producers and channels.

During Ramadan, Vodafone will also offer the “Vodafone TV Guide” that will allow its customers to find out the timing and channel of their favorite TV series. Solution which help the customers not get overwhelmed with the number of TV Series that Ramadan has been popular for. The TV guide provides an interactive channel where the customer can make inquiries about a series, program or channel and receive an SMS with the requested information.

Hazem Emam Joins Vodafone “RED Family”

Featuring Egypt’s sweetheart Captain Hazem Emam, Vodafone announced its new family plan “RED Family” under the slogan “A good thing for you and your family”. The latest TVC, shows the Egyptian football star, with a new look. During the TVC he appears with his family; his wife and 3 daughters who are now part of RED Family. Captain Hazem Emam appeared in the ad; playing with his kids, eating and watching football matches and bonding with them. Hammering on the importance of family, during the ad, Hazem said that his children take from him what he has took from his late father the legendary Captain Hamada Emam.

Vodafone Egypt introduced the “RED Family” as a way to enable “RED” bundle clients to add their family and loved ones to the bundle and share all the good moments in their life, with them. The new copy, reaffirms Vodafone’s promise and slogan “Your strength is in your family” and the TVC’s message “Your family gets good things from you, let them get more good things…a good thing for you and your family.”

The new service really is good for the whole family, with Vodafone offering “RED” bundle benefits to the whole family through partnerships with various applications; including “Careem”, “Anghami” and “OSN.”

SODIC & Vodafone launch SODIC GoSmart and Vodafone Ready Compound services

A comprehensive technology experience across all SODIC projects

Egypt, Cairo: 30 July, 2017: Sixth of October Development & Investment Company “SODIC” and “Vodafone Egypt” announced a new partnership that will offer smart solutions services across all SODIC projects. The two companies signed a partnership agreement under which SODIC, the leading real estate developer, will launch the new service “SODIC GoSmart” powered by "Vodafone Ready Compound”.

Vodafone Ready Compound is part of Vodafone’s “Ready Business” services; which offers integrated solutions that enable companies to develop their business through innovative services that provide world-class experience using Information Technology and Internet of Things.

This partnership between the two leading companies is considered a milestone in the telecommunication services offered to all SODIC residents, giving subscribers access to a range of services including high speed internet, security camera, and advanced smart home automation.

The signing ceremony was held at SODIC’s premises in 6th of October and attended by Magued Sherif, Managing Director of SODIC and Stefano Gastaut, CEO of Vodafone Egypt.

Magued Sherif, the Managing Director of SODIC, said that the launch of SODIC GoSmart is part of a comprehensive plan to take residents' quality of life to the next level, by providing them with the latest technology solutions. "SODIC is very well-known for applying the highest quality standards in developing its diversified project portfolio. We equipped our projects with the most advanced technology infrastructure, which enables us to introduce the latest solutions to cater to our customers' needs" Magued concluded.

"The launch of Ready Compound service demonstrates our continuous efforts to keep the pace with the latest technology, internet and telecommunication development" said Stefano Gestaut, CEO, Vodafone Egypt. "We always adapt to the ever-evolving market needs, by offering advanced telecommunication solutions to serve our customer in the best way possible". Stefano added that the real estate and construction market is one of the most competitive economic sectors in Egypt, as its current contribution to GDP amounts to 10.5%, hiking from 9% in 2013, while the Egyptian developers deliver around 10,000-15,000 units per year.

Vodafone launches a STEM education program for over 500 girls in Egypt and around the world

Cairo – Egypt, December 2018: In celebration of World Youth Skills Day, Vodafone launched a free coding training programme, #CodeLikeAGirl, for 14-18 year old girls across 26 countries benefiting more than 500 girls in Egypt and around the world. The training programme provides an opportunity for over 40 girls to get a better Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) education which can further enable them to have a better career in coding and technology fields.

“As part of its social responsibility towards the society, Vodafone is creating new opportunities to enable the youth and especially girls by enhancing their skills in the technological field. Our vision is to create a better working environment for women by 2015. Vodafone aims at connecting 50 million women working in global emerging markets as well as helping them improve their living conditions,” stated Nagla A. Kinawi, Director of HR in Vodafone Egypt.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) previously expressed its concern regarding the decline in rates of working women across the globe, stating that men are dominating the number of STEM graduates in most countries. In 2014, women represented 22% of STEM graduates in Saudi Arabia, with a sum of 19.3% in Germany, 21.5% in France, and 14.7% in Switzerland. Meanwhile in the United States, women represent just a quarter of the sum of workers in STEM sectors with an even lower percentage in management positions.

On this note, Kinawi stated that over the last few years, the world has witnessed a great development in filling the gender gap in several sectors in the society. Despite that, the gap is still big in many countries especially in STEM sectors. She stressed that for this reason Vodafone designed this training program to support the inclusion of ambitious young women in a field that offers them major job opportunities that can help them lead a brighter future for themselves.

“Vodafone is keen on creating new opportunities to enable the young men and women have future careers in the programming and coding fields. We are trying to achieve that by creating several programmes including Ana Trainee, Discover Graduate, and STEM,” added Kinawi.

#CodeLikeAGirl programme offers seminars and practical lectures on software science and mathematics as well as coding workshops given by a team of expert Vodafone employees and telecom engineers specializing in the coding field. The training programme also provides basic knowledge of computer languages and development programmes, including HTML, CSS, GitHub and Bootstrap, enabling students to develop a website by the end of the one-week course.

Nevertheless, programming is now one of the skills in demand globally. It is now greatly used in several fields such as healthcare, manufacture, and financing. Additionally, recent studies and researches have found that programming has become a main skill that reinforces one’s probability of getting a high-wage job, which is what Vodafone’s programme aims at enabling the modern day youth for.

Vodafone Embarks into the World of 4G and Expands in Smartphone Manufacturing

Vodafone introduces the Smart Turbo 7; the first mobile device with two sim cards and 4G Service

Confirming its leadership in the field of Smartphones and Mobile Services in Egypt; Vodafone Egypt, yesterday, announced during a press conference, the launch of the first affordable 4G Smartphone; the Smart Turbo 7. The phone will offer both 3G and 4G networks and works with the same efficiency. The latest handset comes as part of the company's plan to expand into the smartphone industry in Egypt, introducing products that range to fulfil the needs of smartphone users and offer 4G network services, at an affordable price.

“The new Smart Turbo 7 handset is the best-selling phone in South Africa, where it has already acquired 35% of the local market share,” Sales Director, Karim Shehata stated. He went on to add that 25 team member of the R&D Department have worked relentlessly to develop this new smartphone; incorporating all the features that consumers need in their daily life. “Additionally, there are more than 1,500 selling points throughout the country that provides after-sales services for our No.1 priority: The Consumer.”

Vodafone focuses extensively on placing consumers at the heart of our operations and devices development, which is one of the reasons; Vodafone’s handsets offer a perfect blend between a phone that caters to clients’ needs and a device that features Vodafone’s services and applications. “The 4G network is set to provide even more features and services in the smartphones sector,” Shehata concluded.

Adding to Shehata’s comments, Fadwa Elqosary, Head of Terminals, stated that the company’s latest handset release coincides with the launch of 4G services in Egypt, which will bring about a leap forward in terms of consumer content and video applications. Elqosary went on to add, “The 4G platform is essential for the efficiency of business sectors’ and will significantly improve the quality of the internet. The introduction of the 4G network requires strong digital content that keeps pace with the rapid development of services and meets the needs of customers, which Vodafone continuously works on. This is just the beginning as we believe that digital content is the future and we will continue to work and invest in this.”

The Smart Turbo 7 range offers a variety of mobile phones, including the Vodafone Smart Mini Tab, Vodafone Smart Prime 7, and Vodafone Smart Ultra. Continuing its leadership in mobile market, the Smart Turbo 7 comes with a ‘Full Money Back’ guarantee, where consumers will get back the handset price over 12 months as balance, which they can then use in minutes for calls or for SMS & MB.

The Smart Turbo 7 features a 5-inch screen and two camcorders, a front 5 MP camera and 2 MP back camera with an external 32-Gigabyte memory card slot and 2 sim card slots for all networks. Additionally, it boasts an 8GB internal memory, Android Marshmallow 6.0, Quad-Core 1.0MHz and 2000MA.

Earlier this year, Vodafone Egypt announced a new version of Vodafone's flagship smartphones ‘Vodafone Mini 7,’ which offers a range of features, including 2 sim cards, Android Marshmallow OS and a 2MP camera along with other features.

Alexandre Froment-Curtil succeeds Stefano Gastaut as CEO of Vodafone Egypt

Vodafone issued a press release on October 10, 2017 announcing changes in the company's management structure in Egypt. The appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Alexandre Froment-Curtil succeeding Mr. Stefano Gastaut starting January, 1^st 2018.

Stefano Gastaut led Vodafone Egypt at an important stage where he steered the 4G license negotiations and achieved great success both on personal and corporate level. Vodafone Egypt is considered one of the most successful markets for Vodafone Group. The company leads the Telecom market in Egypt in terms of subscribers, performance index and revenue with over EGP 45 bln investments. According to global statistics, the company has been ranked as "The best employer among private sector” for the 7^th consecutive year.

The statement reported that Alexandre Froment-Curtil has held leadership positions in Vodafone Group since joining the company in 2004 and his most recent post was the Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone Hungary.

Vodafone Egypt Foundation for Community Development announces the development of 100 schools in Upper Egypt

Within the framework of the “Knowledge is Power” initiative and under the auspices of the Ministry of Education

The Vodafone Egypt Foundation for Community Development signed a cooperation agreement with a number of companies, institutions and universities under the auspices of the Ministry of Education to contribute to developing primary schools in Upper Egypt. This year, the Vodafone Egypt Foundation renovated 50 primary schools; bring the total renovated schools to 100. Over the past two years, the foundation has worked in a number of governorates including Fayoum, Sohag and Luxor, investing an estimated 60 million EGP into the projects. The signing ceremony was attended by a number of leaders and representatives from the Ministry of Education, emphasizing governmental and institutional support for the project.

As part of our dedication to community development and social responsibility, the Vodafone Egypt Foundation launched the literacy Initiative aiming to eradicate illiteracy in Egypt within five years. This initiative was launched in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Life Makers Association, alongside several civil society organizations and relevant entities, and in coordination with the Ministry of Education.

The Knowledge is Power initiative was launched in association with a group of influential businesses and organizations, such as the Rotary Club, El Araby Establishment, KAPCI Coatings, Misr International University, the Soad Kafafi Hospital, the Adult Education Authority, the Nahdet Misr Publishing Group, the Arkan Construction company, and AFNI. Each entity will contribute to accomplishing the objectives of the project by gathering funds exceeding 13 million EGP, to cover the financial needs of these underprivileged schools.

Talking about the initiative, Mohamed Henna, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Vodafone Egypt Foundation for Community Development, said, “The Foundation pays special attention to enhancing the conditions of the Egyptian community with the “Knowledge is Power” initiative offering as a great opportunity for us to develop the Egyptian education system in Upper Egypt. We are keen to be involved in projects and initiatives in this area of Egypt, specifically because of the extreme poverty faced by communities in this region.”

The project will develop and support over 50,000 students and 12,000 Egyptian families in the targeted villages by enhancing the educational system, revamping schools’ infrastructure, raising awareness of the importance of education, in addition to applying a developmental plan for rehabilitation, literacy and vocational training for the families of the students. The project will also work on encouraging the adoption of advanced educational techniques with emphasis on the importance of music, art and sports in attempt to provide students with a rounded outlook on life. Finally, the project will work on developing students through the establishment of advanced libraries and cutting-edge computer labs on school campuses.

Henna added that the initiative received extensive support from the Egyptian government and the Ministry of Education. In addition to the support by various civil society organizations in accomplishing the second phase of the program, which covers 50 primary schools, which are expected to be fully finished before the end of the current year, bringing the total number of renovations to 100 schools, over a period of two years.

Vodafone, Pepsi and Amr Diab Celebrate Egypt Qualifying for the World Cup

with “Al Farha Al Leila” Song

Building on the nation’s excitement over Egypt’s recent qualification to the World Cup, Vodafone Egypt has launched “Al Farha Al Leila” song by the megastar Amr Diab to celebrate Egypt’s National Team’s success. The song witnessed major success and went viral on social media platforms, as well as on the Egyptian streets as soon as it was aired; right after the match concluded. The sensational voice of Amr Diab and the composition of Amr Moustafa captured the hearts of Egyptians, with the song also being used during the honoring ceremony of the team, by President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi.

Vodafone and Pepsi were keen to be the first ones to congratulate Egyptians for winning. Right after the referee blew the whistle to conclude the exciting match between Egypt and the Congo match the two companies joined the masses in celebrating through the “Al Farha Al Leila” song; which was specifically prepared for this occasion. The development of the song highlights Vodafone’s strong confidence in anticipating that the National Team would qualify for the World Cup. The new song comes after the widespread success of the “Mat’aata’sh” campaign launched by Vodafone across social media platforms.

The “Al Farha Al Leila” song lyrics were written by Khaled Tag el-Deen, with the music being composed by Amr Moustafa and music orchestration being developed by Osama Hendy.

To watch the honoring ceremony of National Team by President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, click on the link below:

https://youtu.be/JOWiAk3OjEM

Service for more than 4 million users

Vodafone Egypt Signs a Partnership Agreement with ALEXBANK to Provide Mobile Money Transfer via its Vodafone Cash Solution

Vodafone Egypt has signed a partnership agreement with ALEXBANK to support Vodafone Cash Mobile Money Transfer. This new strategic partnership aims at further developing interactive services for Vodafone customers contributing to provide innovative financial solutions. The agreement enables Vodafone Cash customers to enjoy a complete portfolio of financial services featuring easy, convenient, and safe payment services directly via their mobile phone, through the MasterCard network.

The agreement was signed by Stefano Gastaut, Vodafone Egypt CEO, and Dante Campioni, Managing Director and CEO of ALEXBANK.

The signing ceremony was attended by Vodafone and ALEXBANK's management; Ayman Essam, External Affairs and Legal Director, Karim Shehata, Consumer Sales Director, Noha Saad, External Communications Senior Manager at Vodafone Egypt and Sherif Lokman, Head of Retail Banking and Small Business at ALEXBANK.

Karim Shehata, Vodafone Egypt Consumer Sales Director stated that this new partnership with ALEXBANK is an imperative step towards the development of mobile e-payments system in Egypt. “It marks an important move towards a substantial increase in the use of mobile payment services in Egypt, anywhere and at any time, even during vacations and official holidays. Customers can also deposit or withdraw cash from ATMs after receiving required monetary approval.”

Shehata highlighted that the ease of “Vodafone Cash” e-wallets represents a successful technological model that works to fulfill customers’ needs and facilitate their daily lives. “Such partnerships will work to transform Egypt into a cashless community,” he stressed.

Sherif Lokman, Head of Retail Banking and Small Businesses at ALEXBANK, said "We are glad with this agreement and of the cooperation established between Vodafone and ALEXBANK, which allows Egyptians to enjoy state of the art technological solutions to accede financial services.

He elaborated that the collaboration with Vodafone Egypt will facilitate ALEXBANK customers and non-customers’ base to access basic financial transactions, in line with its financial inclusion strategy, set alongside the Central Bank of Egypt guidelines.

Lokman emphasized that ALEXBANK supports the expansion of electronic banking services, on top of which come “Digical” the bank’s internet banking service and “Ma7fazty” ALEXBANK‘s electronic wallet solution, which are recording steady and strong growth amongst its customers. He also added that ALEXBANK does not see any conflict between the own products development and the support to “Vodafone cash” wallet, as the market potential is extremely wide and the approach to the respective customer base follow different logics. In this phase our priority is to reach more people and serve the objective to achieve a better financial inclusion favoring the decrease of cash settlements" he concluded.

Vodafone Egypt Foundation treats 50,000 students in Sohag and Luxor, through Vodafone’s Literacy Initiative (Knowledge is Power)

In partnership with the Souad Kafafi University Hospital and under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the Vodafone Egypt Foundation sent out medical convoys to Sohag and Luxor, to provide examinations and treatments for 50,000 elementary and middle school students, teachers and parents. The convoy took place in the presence of the Sohag Governor, Dr. Ayman Abdel Moneim, the Luxor Governor, Dr. Mohamed Badr, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Vodafone Foundation, Eng. Mohamed Hanna and the General Director of the Souad Kafafi Hospital, Dr. Amr Bastawisy.

The convoys, which are part of Vodafone’s literacy initiative (Knowledge is Power), come as part of the foundation's efforts to support and develop elementary schools in Upper Egypt. The Foundation is renovating 25 elementary schools in Sohag this year, in cooperation with “Women & Child Improving Conditions Association” and “CEOSS - Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services” which will bring the total number of school renovations undertaken, to 50, with an estimated investment of EGP 28 million.

The medical convoys are comprised of a field hospital, with a mobile operating room, a recovery room, a sterilization area, a complete laboratory and radiology, pharmacy, cardiology and echocardiography departments, as well as 20 specialized clinics, 160 doctors and nurses, and 25 volunteers from Vodafone.

Talking about the initiative, Mohamed Hanna, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Vodafone Egypt Foundation, said: “The Foundation aims to enhance the educational system in Upper Egypt’s villages and governorates particularly in areas where there is extreme poverty. One of the ways we are doing this is through the “KIP” initiative. So far, it has succeeded in aiding more than 50,000 students and 12,000 families in both Sohag and Luxor, by improving their health, offering greater access to educational tools and methods, enhancing knowledge and cultural awareness, and developing schools’ infrastructures.”

“The initiative focuses on students, parents and teachers’ health,” Hanna went on to add. “We are also keen on providing teachers with the needed training and tools to develop the educational system, along with providing the students with advanced libraries and computer labs; equipped with state-of-the-art technological devices.”

Dr. Amr Bastawisy, a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the General Director of the Souad Kafafi Hospital, and Undersecretary of the Faculty of Medicine for Clinical Affairs at Misr University for Science & Technology, highlighted that the hospital will be in charge of the medical sector of the convoy. The medical sector of the convoys will conduct a complete medical examination of the initiative’s beneficiaries in all stage 1 governorates, by the end of 2017.

Vodafone Egypt Offers New Flex Bundles and Provides Free Whatsapp to Customers

The “Super Powers” Campaign Proved Successful on Social Media Platforms

Vodafone Egypt introduced the new Flex “Super Powers” Bundle that enables its existing and new customers to benefit from a large number of offers, and receive extra Flex units.

Now with the launch of the new “Vodafone Flex” bundles, Flex 80 (3,500 units) will offer 4,500 units instead, Flex 60 (2,500 units) will offer 3,300 units, and Flex 40 (1,600 units) will be promoted to 2,000 units, while 800 units’ and 400 units’ customers will receive an additional 100 units for each bundle.

Vodafone Egypt also revealed a pleasant surprise for our young customers; offering the number one youth communication platform, Whatsapp, for free to all bundles to enable youth, Flex’s main customers, to communicate better.

As a continuation of the promotional series offered, Vodafone also released a number of teaser videos to promote Flex’s “Super Powers”, which featured ordinary people undertaking supernatural feats. The videos generated a huge buzz on social media platforms that had the audience questioning whether these supernatural abilities were real! It was later revealed that the video was part of a bigger promotional campaign for the new Flex “Super Powers” bundle.

Vodafone Egypt leads IoTs and technological innovation offering the latest smart solutions, during Cairo ICT

Education Box, Vodafone TV, Ready Compound, Vodafone Cash, Ana Vodafone, E3rafli and AI Applications that offer the latest technological solutions for businesses

Affirming its role in driving the future of digitization, Vodafone Egypt revealed its latest solutions and technological innovations in key sectors including; education, real estate, entertainment, customer service and special needs. The new announcements, which came during the 21^st Edition of Cairo International ICT Exhibition, are part of Vodafone’s strategy to put IoTs and digital technology at the heart of its operations both locally and globally, under the slogan “The Future is Exciting, Ready?”

Unveiling its latest innovations in smart education, “Education Box” is a new secured, robust, end-to-end solution provided by Vodafone, which enables schools and classrooms to be digitalized. Being introduced for the first time in Egyptian public schools the service is expected to offer high quality value with an easy roll out. The Box is set to provide schools with the necessary technological equipment to facilitate inter-classroom interaction between students and teachers, including cloud system, modern computers and projectors, wireless controls and tablets, as well as advanced and secured Internet services and a 24/7 customer service for their parents.

“The entire world has its eye set on tomorrow’s technology. It was only natural that Vodafone puts the ‘future’ at the heart and soul of its operations,” stated Ayman Essam, the External Affairs and Legal Director of Vodafone Egypt.

He went on to add that Vodafone is about to revolutionize AI, IoTs and digital content, in line with the its new philosophy and the current global trend that relies entirely on digital content. “Vodafone is leading the tech world through the latest technological and digital solutions and applications,” he said.

Vodafone showcased new products for the Enterprise sector “Vodafone Ready Compound”, a part of Vodafone’s “Ready Business” services that offers integrated solutions and world-class experience to support the smart homes concept. Ready Compound gives subscribers access to a range of services including high-speed internet, home security through security cameras, advanced smart home automation for the entire household and appliances, and IPTV.

During the Exhibition, Vodafone also showed off our new digital entertainment content, Vodafone TV, a new video on demand service, that enables customers to watch TV series on our mobiles; becoming the first mobile operator to offer VOD in the market.

Additionally, the company also launched new services for Vodafone Cash, that includes disbursement of pensions, alimony and payrolls through Vodafone stores, a virtual credit card and a demo for merchant payments and utilities (electricity, water and gas bills). “E3rafli" application - the leading mobile application for visually impaired - was also re-introduced with a new version of the service, during Cairo ICT. The application’s new features will tackle and ease Vodafone’s visually impaired customer experience when using Vodafone’s services including short USSD codes such as mobile internet renewal, bundles opt in or out, balance transfer and so on.

Vodafone also kicked off "Ana Vodafone" App in our new demo version that provides several new features including, visa appointments, by which customers can book their appointments for embassies by selecting the country, available date and time, checking the embassy location and learning about the documents they will be required to provide. The new version will also enable users to manage their call tones, online payments through credit cards, and check transaction history. Additionally, a new “Click to Chat” feature is now on-board, where users can chat with Vodafone customer service, to provide them with support on any inquires and issues.

Vodafone Egypt wins "Top Employer" award as the best working environment in the ICT sector

The Egyptian telecom operator Vodafone Egypt was named the “Top Employer in Egypt” for 2017 during the “Top Employers Institute Award,” at the awards event, which was hosted in South Africa, and attended by Nagla A. Kinawi, Human Resources Director-Vodafone Egypt. The award is considered a culmination of Vodafone's corporate and strategic endeavors that allowed us to implement best institutional practices in the company's business environment, reflecting the success of Vodafone Egypt’s management in handling human resources development and talent management, in addition to developing the managerial capacities of department heads and team managers.

The award assessed the strategic potential of Vodafone Egypt, in accordance with pivotal standards and complete research methodologies that included labor schemes, talent strategy, pioneering experience in educating new teams and developing acquisition and learning skills, as well as evaluating the standards of professional performance management, leadership and incentives development, as well as the development of corporate culture and work environment

"Vodafone Egypt has a workforce of more than 10,000 employees working in the company's centers and offices across the country. It also has tremendous experience and expertise in providing services both locally and globally. Investing in human resource development is a priority," said Nagla A. Kinawi, Human Resources Director-Vodafone Egypt.

Kinawi also stated that the company seeks to integrate more young calibers and experts, stressing on the importance of functional balance in the work environment. “Vodafone puts the improvement and development of its employees’ personal aspirations at the heart of its mission. We are continuously providing support for the employees’ to achieve their professional ambitions, which reflects positively not only on a personal and family level, but also on the society in general,” she went on to add.

One of Vodafone’s main goals is to provide a work environment that respects individual differences. Vodafone Egypt pays great attention to the welfare of its employees and encourages them to maintain their physical fitness while working in an environment that takes care of their physical and mental health. To ensure this, Vodafone has a health and safety team whose mission is to keep the work environment safe. Vodafone Egypt also focuses on identifying top talents and calibers to provide them with rapid development programs. In addition, Vodafone continuously offers opportunities for career development and prepares its employees to become future leaders through well-designed training plans, e-learning options, books, and career guidance as well as through internal and functional mobility.

Vodafone Egypt has been recognized a number of times over the past years and has been named "Top Employer" for four consecutive years by Nielsen Marketing Research.

The Top Employers Institute globally certifies excellence based upon the conditions that employers create for their people according to a number of important and fundamental criteria, including culture and work environment standards, talent and competency management strategy, performance management, leadership development, compensation and benefits for employees, personal learning and development of new and old employees as well as others.