Egypt crafts mobile phone 'code of conduct'

Think twice before using your mobile phone next time you're in Egypt, because the country has drawn up an “ethics code” for mobile phones.

The guide – written by the country’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and Consumers Rights Protection Committee (CRPC) – contains 16 points designed to regulate your behaviour while using a mobile phone.

Point two of the code, for example, warns that you shouldn’t call others during times of rest, while point seven advises you not to send text messages containing inappropriate words or indecent pictures.

Anyone with a dislike for the Crazy Frog will like point 11 of the guide, which suggests phone owners “choose a non-annoying ringtone”.

Some of the code’s more reasonable points include a warning not to use your phone inside places of worship or while driving.

It’s unclear when the code – which doesn’t appear to carry any legal weight - was drawn up and whether it’s intended for Egypt’s inhabitants, visitors to the country, or both.

Nonetheless, the guide’s first point makes clear that “mobile phone technology is considered one of the greatest technologies that emerged in the last few years to serve humanity”.

This reason, according to the CRPC and NTRA, means that – above all – you should never use a mobile phone to “annoy or tease others”. ®