Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) said it has imposed an EGP 10 million fine (approximately $598,623) on Vodafone Egypt over interrupted communication services to its customers for several hours on 3 June.

In an official press release on Monday, the NTRA said it imposed the fine after the company’s services were interrupted for a large number of customers for several hours in various areas on 3 June ahead of the country’s celebration of Islamic Eid El-Fitr.

The authority stressed on the necessity of compensating affected customers, demanding that Vodafone provides the NTRA with mechanisms to deal with similar problems in the future.

The NTRA said it conducted investigations to determine the causes of the disruption, which it said was a violation of the service quality stipulated in licences granted to the company and terms of agreements signed by it.

“The NTRA will not hesitate to take all adequate measures to ensure the quality of telecom services provided to citizens, including imposing fines on violating companies operating under signed deals,” the authority said. 

Vodafone issued an apology on Thursday to its customers.