This article was published on February 3, 2011

5 days with no Internet cost Egypt “At least $90 million”


5 days with no Internet cost Egypt “At least $90 million”

When Egypt’s Internet connection was cut off last week it did more than just impede the country’s communications, the economy took a huge hit too – to the tune of at least $90 million according to a report published today.

As PC World reports, The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) admits that this is a rough, estimated figure, but says that a minimum of $18 million a day was lost thanks to the lack of online communication in the north African country.

Last week we looked at the impact of the Internet ban on Egypt’s e-commerce sector and found it to be put on a complete pause, with staff sent home and management understandably more focused on staff safety than any attempt to run businesses as normal.

The true cost of the five-day blackout, which ended yesterday, may not be known for some time. Additionally, the impact on businesses and individuals outside Egypt who rely on services from the country may never be fully known.

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