U.K.-based Vodafone complies with Egyptian crackdown

Vodafone, the U.K.-based telecom company, has complied with a request from the Egyptian government to shut down Internet services. 

The company said that it met the request because it appeared to be within the bounds of Egyptian law. 

In a statement, per The Wall Street Journal, the company said it was "instructed to suspend services in parts of Egypt. Under Egyptian legislation, the authorities have the right to issue such an order and we are obliged to comply with it."

Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao said he hopes the decision is reversed "very soon." 

The Internet analysis firm Renesys said Thursday that Egypt's Internet crackdown, meant to prevent protesters from organizing online, is "an action unprecedented in Internet history."