Society
Vodafone Egypt investment into digitalisation
Digital Society
During the past years, our lasting investment into digitalisation has started to leverage impact and deliver benefits at scale. At the same time, we entered many new segments where understanding of the potential digital solutions uphold is just starting to emerge. Such a combination of new and established markets marks a defining quality of digitalisation – it’s all-encompassing yet often barely seen. For years, Vodafone Egypt has invested in delivering market-leading solutions to its private and business customers, carefully tailoring our offer to evolving needs and preferences. Building on lasting and trustful relationships with our customers, we have also invested in helping them gain greater convenience, resilience and agility to succeed in the fast-paced world.
People-Centric Digital Mindset
We follow Vodafone Group’s vision of bringing digitisation with the sustainability goals by ensuring that the Egyptian people have access to all benefits of the digital society. Starting with providing access in rural areas through investing in new mobile cell towers as well as providing them with ultimate means to practice financial inclusion in their daily lives. During 2020-2022 we have further consolidated our offering to business clients, used gained capacities to streamline automation and launched a unique set of new services demanded by private customers.
Vodafone Egypt has integrated with the Vaccine distribution portal to offer the SMS gateway as well as the Callout features and completed full digitization for all the births and deaths offices (2800+) to enable their integration with the Vaccine portal. Focusing on a people-centric and high engagement experience, we installed self-help machines in 150, Retail stores implemented digital business cards and a cashless environment. We have also updated the Vodafone app with the new UX and UI. We also digitized the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) in Egypt in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
In line with its vision of inclusive digitalization, Vodafone Egypt has extended its coverage areas to 59 isolated villages (with no previous coverage) in ElFayoum, ElMinya, and Ismailia. This allows us to start serving more than 800K customers all over Egypt, connecting them to the world.
M2M Connectivity Leadership and Edgeconn
Vodafone Egypt continued its leadership in digitalization among enterprise customers and implemented the IoT that enables smart devices to exchange real-time Information and enhance how businesses are run, how they grow and how they meet customer needs. Vodafone IoT Connectivity offers multiple benefits. We achieved 95% 3G/4G nationwide coverage and delivered best in class high-speed connectivity. This allows us to be a leader in ensuring access to business-critical applications and filtering non-business content.
We also provide Edgeconn with connectivity (around 2000 SIMs with expanding plans) that support the data centers and gateways which serves the MOE (Ministry of Education) e-learning system, Online classes and Online exams such as the Thanawya Amma exams. The connectivity provided is used in all MOE schools to monitor the classes using smart cameras with 4G SIMs.
Customer Experience and Relations
Vodafone, we aim to provide our customers with the best-in-class services and products that meet their needs and exceed their expectations. Through attentiveness and care, we build deep and trusted customer relationships.
Every year, we conduct research to find out what truly matters to our customers. This includes:
1- Understanding unspoken customers’ needs, pains and issues.
2- Engaging with our customers to understand their preferences among different options.
3- Monitoring customer experience use patterns allows us to enhance our existing offerings and tailor new ones to meet their needs in the best possible way.
4- Testing different concepts for digital solutions and applications that would be of help for both individuals and business entities.
5- Connecting to the needs of different segments.
6- Understanding our customer’s needs and requirements when it comes to mobile devices to tailor our offer and collaborate with local companies in marketing their products along with Vodafone’s portfolio.
Protecting Digital Rights
We connect millions of people, homes, businesses and things to each other and the internet. Such connectivity has many benefits, but it also comes with risks. At Vodafone Egypt, we are committed to protecting the data of our customers and ensuring the security of our systems in line with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Our customers use Vodafone products and services because of our next-generation connectivity, but also because they trust that their information is secure.
Operating Model and Cyber Code
Vodafone Group has implemented an operating model based on the leading industry security standards published by the US Department of Commerce, specifically the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It has an international team of experts who are focused on constantly monitoring, protecting and defending our systems and our customers’ data.
We also work with third-party experts and consultants to maintain specialist skills and continue to follow the leading practice. Our scale means we benefit from global collaboration, technology sharing, deep expertise and ultimately have greater visibility of emerging threats. Although the Cyber team leads on detection, response and recovery, preventative and protective controls are embedded across all our technology and throughout the entire business.
Risk & Threat-based Security Operating Model
Every employee has responsibility for cyber security and must follow the Vodafone Cyber Code, be sensitive to threats and report suspicious activity. It consists of seven areas where employees need to follow good security practices. Every employee has responsibility for cyber security and must follow the Vodafone Cyber Code, be sensitive to threats and report suspicious activity. The Cyber Code is the compass we expect all employees to follow when it comes to best practices in cyber security. The seven areas are as follows:
The Cyber Code
Vodafone Egypt and GDPR
At Vodafone Egypt, we follow and implement the Vodafone Group General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Program to ensure compliance with the new European GDPR as mandated by Vodafone Group. This direction ensures consistency, maturity and standards for Vodafone Privacy Program across Vodafone global footprint to meet the requirements of changing global regulatory and reputational privacy landscape.
Egyptian Data Protection Law
Vodafone was strongly involved, through its Data Privacy Officer, in the legal discussions around the Egyptian Data Protection Law through its Privacy Officer, who was invited to join the discussion sessions arranged by the ICT Committee of the Parliament where Vodafone’s participation was acknowledged and appreciated by both the Parliament and the Government. Compliance with GPDR has put Vodafone Egypt leading position in the Egyptian Market, being pioneers in this field and allowing us to be the first compliant telecom operator to the Egyptian Data Protection Law issued in July 2020 and based on GPDR. Vodafone Egypt has actively participated in the discussion of the DP Law 151/2020 with 90% of proposed changes adopted by the Egyptian Parliament House and the Government.
Customer Privacy Policy
Vodafone Egypt has initiated a customised Privacy Policy to ensure compliance with GDPR and with the Egyptian Data Protection Law through its various domains that correspond to GDPR’s requirements. Our Customer Privacy Policy concerns the handling of Data Subject’s personal information; this includes the collection, storage, access, use, updating, disclosure, disposal, destruction, or any other processing of such information. The purpose of gathering information from customers serves the purpose of operating our business and enhancing our customer experience. Vodafone Egypt’s Privacy Notice was updated in April August 2021 and effective since. Read more on how we collect, secure and share Data Subject’s personal information.
Privacy Policy components:
1- Design for Privacy
2- Protect Confidentiality
3- Collect Relevant Data
4- Provide a Privacy Notice
5- Provide Choices
6- Manage Data Carefully
7- No Unauthorised Disclosure
8- Secure Data
9- Protect Children’s Privacy
10- Respect Individual Rights
Vodafone’s Privacy Risk Management
Vodafone implements a Privacy Risk Management Program that prioritises the privacy risks according to their severity and helps neutralise the possible consequences in cases of risk occurrence. This allows us to manage the potential risks with minimal effort and improve our security measures.
Law Enforcement
Vodafone has a robust Law Enforcement policy that outlines its obligations towards the country’s National Security. This is reflected in the past and current cooperation responding to official judicial/prosecution orders and security requests.