Ramses Exchange

The Ramses Exchange is a telecoms building in central Cairo that is a focal point of the Internet in Egypt. It is situated at 26 Ramses Street.^[1]

Reports related to the 2011 Internet shutdown in Egypt refer to the Ramses Exchange as the location where the shut down was effected by powering down parts of the exchange.^[2] The Ramses Exchange, located on Ramses Street near the center of Cairo ^[3] is the main "wire center" for Telecom Egypt, carrying not only municipal telecommunications traffic, but also serving as the main point of entry for international submarine fiber-optic circuits, back-hauled from landing stations near Alexandria.

The Ramses Exchange is also the location of the Cairo Internet Exchange (CAIX).^[4] This IX is provides connections between all the major in-country operators in Egypt^[5] Additionally; it once housed the Cairo Regional Internet Exchange (CRIX),^[6] which once claimed it was the largest Internet exchange in North Africa or the Middle East.^[7]

References

^ James Glanz and John Markoff (February 15, 2011). "Egypt Leaders Found 'Off' Switch for Internet". New York Times. Quote: "The engineers say that a focal point of the attack was an imposing building at 26 Ramses Street in Cairo, just two and a half miles from the epicenter of the protests, Tahrir Square."
^ Ryan Singel (February 10, 2011). "Report: Egypt Turned Off the Net With a Big Switch, Not Phone Calls". Wired.
^ "Google Maps aerial view of the Ramses Exchange".
^ Cairo Internet Exchange FAQ
^ CAIX Member List
^ FLAG Telecom announces launch of CR-IX, the new internet exchange in Egypt
^ "Detail view of Cairo Regional Internet Exchange". Packet Clearing House.

References

See also