Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, yesterday evening witnessed the signing ceremony of the strategic partnership agreement between Legacy for Development and Management, the company operating services at the Grand Egyptian Museum, and Vodafone Egypt, the museum's official and exclusive technology partner, in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority, at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The agreement was signed by Karim Eid, Vodafone Egypt's Deputy CEO for the Commercial Sector, and Merit El-Sayed, Executive Director of Legacy for Development and Management.
This comes as part of the Grand Egyptian Museum's vision to offer its visitors an integrated and rich tourism experience that combines the heritage and authenticity of Egypt's civilization with its technological leadership, in a pioneering step that affirms Egypt's position as a global cultural and tourist destination. Under this agreement, Vodafone Egypt will unify the museum's operating systems through an integrated smart platform based on Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to deliver an exceptional experience for visitors.
This smart system allows the Grand Egyptian Museum to manage resources more efficiently, helping rationalize energy consumption and reduce the museum's carbon footprint, reflecting the museum's commitment to environmental sustainability. The platform has been designed with a flexible, scalable structure that can be expanded and developed to keep pace with the museum's growth, with the possibility of adding more smart technologies in the future without affecting existing operations.
In his speech, Sherif Fathy expressed his pleasure at taking part in this event from inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, which combines modern technology with the authenticity of the ancient Egyptian civilization, stressing the importance of maximizing the benefit of modern technologies and employing them to provide the best services to tourists, helping improve the tourism experience in Egypt.
He noted that the integration Vodafone Egypt provides to the museum represents an advanced model of smart management that ensures the interconnection and integration of the work system in a way that serves the museum's intended goals.
Fathy also stressed Egyptians' pride in the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization, explaining that it is not limited to displaying Egyptian antiquities, including the collection of King Tutankhamun, but also represents a global scientific, research and conservation center.
He added that it is important for Egypt to host, in the coming years, periodic gatherings of Egyptologists from around the world to exchange expertise and research, noting that Egypt, with its human resources, expertise and wealth of knowledge, is capable of becoming a global center for Egyptology.
In his speech, Dr. Amr Talaat praised this distinguished partnership, which combines authenticity and modernity to enable the Grand Egyptian Museum to have the latest technologies, stressing the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's keenness to strengthen efforts aimed at adopting modern technologies and integrating them into various state sectors.
Talaat noted that the system Vodafone Egypt has added to the Grand Egyptian Museum will help enhance the museum's capabilities and global standing, making the largest museum dedicated to a single civilization a smart museum that houses this large number of exhibits along with highly advanced technological capabilities, in a way that reflects the greatness of Egyptian civilization while keeping pace with global developments in smart museum management.
The Minister of Communications explained that this partnership will have a positive impact on the experience of visitors and tourists inside this edifice, which embodies Egypt's greatness, the breadth of its civilization and the richness of its history, by enabling them to view unique exhibits and enjoy the advantages offered by modern technologies. He added that this agreement shows that the success of the ICT sector lies in harnessing technology to achieve developmental, knowledge and civilizational impact.
Talaat stressed that this partnership embodies the ICT sector's working methodology, based on concerted efforts between the government, civil society and global and local private sector companies to produce added value that benefits society.
In a related context, Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority, said the museum's main goal is to create an integrated and different experience for visitors that relies on technology in every detail.
He explained that the new platform will link all of the museum's operating systems, including lighting, elevators, parking, ticketing systems and visitor flow, in a unified smart network, enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability.
He added that the Grand Egyptian Museum is the jewel of the world's museums and a unique national project that embodies the image of modern Egypt, combining authenticity and innovation, thanking Legacy, Vodafone and the work team for their efforts in implementing this vision.
During his speech, Mohamed Abdallah, CEO and Managing Director of Vodafone Egypt and Regional Head of International Markets at Vodacom Group, said: "Egypt today offers the world a unique experience that combines its ancient civilization with the future of technology, and we at Vodafone Egypt are proud to be the exclusive technology partner of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the biggest cultural event the world is awaiting."
He added that this partnership "reflects our commitment to supporting the state's vision for digital transformation by harnessing our global expertise and innovative solutions to unify the museum's various systems in a smart, secure platform based on the Internet of Things, ensuring an advanced and seamless experience for visitors from all over the world. Through this cooperation, we seek to highlight Egyptian identity to offer a unique experience."
Karim Eid, Vodafone Egypt's Deputy CEO for the Commercial Sector, stressed that the partnership with the Grand Egyptian Museum as its exclusive technology partner "embodies our vision of employing technology to enrich people's lives and offer exceptional experiences to our customers at both the cultural and entertainment levels."
He also said: "Through this partnership, we are contributing to offering a distinctive experience that connects Egyptians with their heritage and highlights how technology can be a bridge between history and the future."
Eng. Mahmoud El-Khatib, Vodafone Egypt's Deputy CEO for the Business Sector, added that "our partnership with the Grand Egyptian Museum represents a practical application of Vodafone's vision for digital transformation, and of how technology can build an integrated experience that preserves heritage and serves people at the same time."
He added that "our role as exclusive technology partner is to build the museum's 'smart brain' by unifying all operational and administrative systems in a unified, smart and secure platform based on Internet of Things technologies," noting that this system comprises 19 main systems, including ticketing, electronic gates, indoor wayfinding, counting, parking and Wi-Fi systems, all working in harmony to provide a seamless, connected experience for visitors from the moment they enter until they leave.
Eng. Merit El-Sayed, Executive Director of Legacy for Management and Development and the services operator at the Grand Egyptian Museum, said Legacy, as the museum's services operator, is committed to operational excellence and innovation to ensure a world-class experience befitting the status of this unique cultural edifice. She added: "Through our partnership with Vodafone Egypt, we are reinforcing this commitment via an integrated Internet of Things (IoT) platform linking all vital systems inside the museum, from ticketing and visitor flow to energy management," noting that this cooperation cements the museum's position as a leading institution that embraces the latest digital technologies, setting a new standard for museum management and operation in Egypt and beyond, and offering a smart and exceptional experience that reflects Egypt's heritage and its aspirations for the future.
