As part of its mission to enhance consumers’ awareness regarding all issues related to telecommunication affairs, the NTRA launched an awareness campaign on ADSL line-sharing legality, the campaign focused on the following:

• Permission to share ADSL service through one line is deemed as a re-provision of the service. It is deemed illegal according to Telecom Law # 10 of 2003, which prohibits re-provision of telecommunication services for others than those licensed by the NTRA.

• ADSL line sharing implies utilization of the telephone line by a unit other than the leased one. That is deemed prejudice to the contract made between line holder and Telecom Egypt providing that utilization of line is allowed only for the leased unit. Telecom Egypt is hence entitled to nullify the contract.

• ADSL line sharing negatively impacts the quality of the provided service.

• ADSL line sharing makes line owner vulnerable for being legally liable in case that any participant commits a cyber crime or offence. Investigations will surely lead to the line owner with no liability on the part of any of the participants.

• ADSL line sharing makes line owner liable for paying the bills of any of the Internet services in case any of the participants makes use of like: Video on Demand or VoIP.

This campaign comes within context of the restructuring process of the ADSL initiative launched by Ministry of Communication and Information Technology with the purpose of:

• Spreading the usage of the ADSL service

• Putting an end to all forms of illegal utilization of services like line sharing

The aforementioned goes in line with the NTRA scope of work regarding the determination of consumer protection regulations, in a way that protects privacy, guarantees affordability and quality of services provided.