Egypt's embattled President Hosni Mubarak on January 29 addressed the nation for the first time since deadly protests erupted against his regime, vowing reform but showing no sign of relaxing his decades-old grip on power.

Four days after angry protesters first took to the street and with at least 27 people killed in subsequent street battles, Mubarak said he had sacked the government and would pursue economic and political reforms.

"We will not backtrack on reforms. We will continue with new steps which will ensure the independence of the judiciary and its rulings, and more freedom for citizens," he said.

Protesters who have been demanding Mubarak step down, as well as an end to endemic state corruption and police brutality that have become systematic under his rule, dismissed the speech as too little, too late.

Internet connections were cut across Egypt early on January 28, while mobile phone signals were patchy and text messages inoperative, affecting the ability of protesters to communicate with each other, AP reports.