Vodafone faces pressure over Egypt protests

Campaigners will seek to use Vodafone's annual meeting on Tuesday to call on the mobile phone group to prevent a repetition of how its network in Egypt was used to carry propaganda on behalf of the country's former ruler.

Access, a New York-based non-governmental organisation, wants Vodafone and other telecoms operators to sign up to an action plan that would commit them to resisting any efforts by governments to take control of their networks.

Vodafone found itself at the centre of controversy in early February after admitting its network had been used to relay pro-government text messages that were supportive of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president who was ousted by a popular uprising.

In January, the three mobile network operators in Egypt - France Telecom, Vodafone and Etisalat - were instructed by the authorities to suspend services in certain areas in an apparent attempt by the Mubarak regime to impede communication between pro-democracy protesters.

Vodafone claimed to be the first operator to restore services, which it did within days, and the group protested to the Egyptian authorities about the "unacceptable" use of its network to carry pro-government messages. The UK government also complained to the authorities.

Brett Solomon, Access' executive director, is planning to attend Vodafone's annual meeting, and will seek to question the board by acting as a proxy for a shareholder.

"Customers and shareholders will expect Vodafone and its competitors to have learned lessons from the Egyptian shutdown," said Mr Solomon.

FairPensions, a UK charity that campaigns for responsible investment by pension funds, is working with Access to highlight the reputational risks to telecoms investors.

Louise Rouse, Fair Pensions' director of engagement, said: "Investors need to ... ensure that companies have, since Vodafone's experience in Egypt, developed a response plan in the event that they face similar demands in other countries."