As part of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority’s (NTRA) ongoing efforts to protect users’ rights and ensure the provision of high-quality telecom services in the Egyptian market, the NTRA has issued its annual report on the Telecom Users Complaints Monitoring System for 2024.

The report presents the main indicators related to user complaints concerning fixed-line, mobile, fixed-internet services, and mobile devices, as well as the percentage and response time of operators after complaints are escalated to the NTRA.

The NTRA receives telecom users’ complaints against their service providers through the call center (155), in addition to several digital channels introduced to facilitate communication with users, such as the NTRA’s mobile application (My NTRA), the NTRA website, email, and WhatsApp.

A total of 299,776 complaints were received in 2024. Operators’ response rate reached 94%, with an average complaint response time of 1.5 days.

The main highlights of the report are as follows:

•299,776 complaints escalated to the NTRA from users against service providers:

•130,041 mobile service complaints (44%)

•87,480 fixed-internet complaints (29%)

•78,121 fixed-line complaints (26%)

•4,134 mobile device complaints (1%)

•Complaint submission channels:

•80% through the call center (155)

•8% through the NTRA website

•6% via WhatsApp

•5% through the My NTRA app

•1% through social media

•Complaints by region:

•36% Greater Cairo

•31% Delta

•23% Upper Egypt

•7% Alexandria

•3% Canal region

Below is a detailed breakdown of complaints regarding mobile devices, mobile services, fixed-internet, and fixed-line services:

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1. Mobile Device Complaints

A total of 4,134 complaints were escalated against mobile device agents in 2024.

•Response rate: 100%

•Average response time: 2.9 days

•Key complaint types:

•58% recurrence of the defect after repair

•22% objection to the technical inspection

•20% refusal to replace the device

•Average resolution time by agent:

•Safi: 1.8 days

•Sky: 2.3 days

•Raya Distribution: 2.4 days

•Ro’ya: 2.5 days

•i2: 2.8 days

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2. Mobile Service Complaints

•Complaint rate: 115 complaints per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate after escalation to NTRA: 96%

•Average response time: 0.2 day

Vodafone

•Complaint rate: 113 per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 97%

•Average response time: 0.07 day

•Complaints by region:

•44% Greater Cairo

•27% Delta

•21% Upper Egypt

•5% Alexandria

•3% Canal region

Breakdown of Vodafone complaint types by region (summarized as in Arabic):

•Cairo: marketing calls (43%), service quality (15%), mobile wallets (13%)

•Delta: billing/credit (22%), service quality (21%), mobile wallets (18%)

•Upper Egypt: billing/credit (23%), mobile wallets (17%), number portability (16%)

•Alexandria: marketing calls (20%), service quality (19%), mobile wallets (19%)

•Canal: mobile wallets (25%), service quality (23%), billing/credit (21%)

Orange

•Complaint rate: 169 per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 95%

•Average response time: 0.43 day

•Regions and complaint types follow the same structure as the Arabic text.

Etisalat

•Complaint rate: 73 per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 95%

•Average response time: 0.14 day

•Regional breakdown reflects the same details provided in Arabic.

WE

•Complaint rate: 72 per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 96%

•Average response time: 0.57 day

•Regional distribution and complaint categories follow the same structure.

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3. Fixed-Internet Complaints

•Complaint rate: 752 complaints per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 97%

•Average response time: 1.7 days

Details for Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat, and WE follow exactly as in the Arabic text, including complaint causes such as:

•Service quality issues

•Unauthorized line reservation

•Billing

•Inability to cancel subscriptions

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4. Fixed-Line Complaints

•Complaint rate: 591 complaints per 100,000 subscribers

•Response rate: 87%

•Average response time: 3.6 days

Regional distribution:

•46% Greater Cairo

•27% Delta

•18% Upper Egypt

•6% Alexandria

•3% Canal region

Main causes:

•Telephone faults (up to 79% depending on region)

•Delays in service activation

•Billing issues

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Refunds to Users After Validated Complaints

•EGP 3.2 million refunded to users after complaint validation in 2024

•66% of refunds were related to incorrect charges

•Orange ranked first, accounting for 64% of total refunded amounts

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Actions Taken by NTRA to Support User Rights

1. Launch of Wi-Fi Calling

The NTRA launched Wi-Fi Calling in Egypt, enabling high-quality voice calls using Wi-Fi networks in places with weak mobile signal, without any additional charges.

2. Cooperation Protocol with the Consumer Protection Agency

A joint digital complaints platform, automated complaint exchange mechanisms, and a unified telecom complaints database were launched.

3. New Regulations for Promotional and Commercial Calls

Individuals or entities making promotional calls must register their data with mobile operators and activate the promotional call service to prevent user annoyance and protect privacy.

The NTRA recorded over 37,000 nuisance call complaints and issued alerts on 16 million nuisance calls via NTRA Alert messages.

4. New Quality Penalty Mechanisms Signed by All Mobile Operators

Violations of quality standards will result in doubled penalty amounts, which operators must reinvest—under NTRA supervision—in improving coverage and service quality in specified areas.

5. 89 Million Uses of the Unified Code #155

Since its launch in January 2021, the unified free shortcode (*155#) has been used 89 million times to check or cancel value-added services, helping limit unauthorized service subscriptions.