Egypt’s ministry of information and communication technology launched on Sunday a service for automatic vehicle location (AVL) for the first time, to allow subscribers to track their cars, state news agency MENA reported.

The new AVL service will help users to protect their cars from theft, as well as curbing the phenomenon of smuggling subsidised fuel.

The service will be effective throughout GPS, and will be provided in cooperation with Vodafone Egypt and Egyptian Tracking Services and Information Technology (ETSIT) Company, MENA added.

AVL licences were reportedly banned in Egypt under the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak due to security concerns, as it was thought that the use of such services would expose important figures to assassination.