Developments of Telcom and Internet In Somalia by Eng. Mohamed Adil

Presented at SomNOG2 Conference in Mogadishu, Somalia
http://somnog.so/conference17/

Transcript

1. Developments of Telecom and Internet in Somalia Mohamed Adil Technical Commercial Manager Dalkom Somalia. Somali Network Operators Group SomNOG 2 Conference 22-23 November, 2017
2. Agenda  Introduction  History of Telecommunication in Somalia  Telecommunication In Somalia  Internet in Somalia  10 Major developments in Telecom and Internet in Somalia (For the last 5 years)  Recommendations
3. SOMNOG2 3 Introduction  Before 1991: There was only One Telecommunication Company in Somalia which was owned by the Central Government  The public telecommunications system was destroyed during the civil war;  After 1991 (Civil War period): private companies have emerged to meet the high demand for communications.  First Telecom Company (1993): Somali Telecom was the first Telecommunication service provider company in Somalia
4. 4 Brief History of Telecom and Internet in Somalia  1993: Somali Telecom (lately named Somtel since 2013) was the first Telecommunication service provider company in Somalia. Coverage: Whole Somalia, Headquarter: Mugadisho  1995: Nation- Link Coverage: Whole Somalia, Headquarter: Mugadisho  1996: Barakat Telecom (lately named Hormud in south and central Somalia, Golis in Puntland and Telesom in Somali-land since 2012) Coverage: Whole Somalia, Headquarter: Mugadisho
5. 5 Brief History of Telecom and Internet in Somalia  1997: Somali Internet (lately named Global Internet after combining with Global Building company) was the firs Internet company in Somalia (Nation- link, Barakat, Somali Telecom) Coverage: Whole Somalia, Headquarter: Mugadisho  1999: Webtel, first VIOP company, based in Mugadisho.  2001: Miccom was the largest VIOP company Coverage: Whole Somalia, Headquarter: Mugadisho
6. 6 Brief History of Telecom and Internet in Somalia  2012-2013: Several Telecom and Interne companies entered the market namely Unitel Telecomunication, Wanag Telecommunication, Somaohone Telecommunication, Sahan etc  2013: The first Fiber optic cable Landing statoin in Somalia landed in Mugaisho.
7. SOMNOG 2 7 Telecommunication in Somalia  Telecommunications in Somalia include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet  Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 51,000 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 157  Telephones - mobile cellular: total: 5.836 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 55 (July 2015 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 {SOURCE: 2017 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES}
8. 8 Internet in Somalia  Top-level domain: .so  Internet users: 900,000  Penetration (% Population): 7.9 %, 2017  Penetration (% Population): 1.2 %, 2012  Internet Service Providers: 23 ISP (2016) SOURCE: 2017 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES
9. 9 Internet Users statistics, 2017 Country Population (2017 Est.) Internet Users 31-Dec-2000 Internet Users 30-June-2017 Penetration (% Population) Internet Growth % 2000 - 2017 Facebook subscribers 30-Jun-2017 Eritrea 5,481,906 5,000 71,000 1.3 % 1,320.0 % 63,000 Burundi 11,936,481 3,000 617,116 5.2 % 20,470.5 % 450,000 Central African Rep. 5,098,826 1,500 246,432 4.8 % 16,328.8 % 66,000 Chad 14,965,482 1,000 748,274 5.0 % 74,727.4 % 170,000 Niger 21,563,607 5,000 931,548 4.3 % 18,531.0 % 280,000 Guinea- Bissau 1,932,871 1,500 84,000 4.3 % 5,500.0 % 84,000 Madagascar 25,612,972 30,000 1,300,000 5.1 % 4,233.3 % 1,300,000 Somalia 11,391,962 200 900,000 7.9 % 449,900.0 % 900,000
10. 10 Somalia is a World leader in Mobile Money • The first mobile money service in Somalia was launched in 2008 • Somalia has the world’s second highest mobile money penetration rates of 37% • Somalia accounts for ~18% of the world's 61 million active mobile money users • Somali's online Dahabshiil is one of the largest money transfer companies in Africa, operating in 155 countries (The Guardian, July 2012)
11. SOMNOG-2 By-Mohamed Adil 11 10 Major developments/progresses in the ICT sector in Somalia for the last Five Years
12. 12 1. Communication Act  Somalia Federal Government approved National Communications to regulate the country’s telecommunication sector  The telecommunications bill calls for 1. The creation of telecoms regulatory authority, 2. Development of the country with telecommunications technology 3. Protecting corporate companies and consumer rights 4. More participation by private sectors in developing the sector.
13. 13 2. Submarine Cable Landing Station in Somalia  The Eastern African Submarine System landed in Somalia in 2014  EASSy landing station links East Africa with Europe and North America  Terrestrial fibre optic cable links most of major towns, and the capital, of Somaliland to Djibouti.
14. 14 Entrance of many internet service providers namely:  Somali Optical Network,  SOMCAST,  Somali Wireless,  SomaliRen: especial ISP 3. Market Structure
15. 4. Economic and business opportunities  Existence of the fiber cable network facilitates the growth of investments, employment, and business opportunities.  For Example, The damage to undersea fiber cable in July, 2017 cost $10 million per day according to the government.
16. 16 5. Migration to FTTX  Somali Telecos and ISP companies use optical fiber for the last mile solution  As fiber optic cables are able to carry much more data than copper cables, especially over long distances, Wireless Internet and copper telephone networks are being replaced by Fiber optic
17. 17 6. Internet Cost Somalia’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been able to provide much improved services, with very low cost comparing to the expensive and low quality of the satellite 3000 2000 1500 250 50 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 2002 2007 2012 2017 2020 Price of 1 Mbps Series 1 Column1 Column2
18. 18 7. Impact on Education  Research: students are able to use the Internet to obtain the research they need  Globalization: students can "meet" their counterparts through video conferencing without leaving the classroom  Distance Education: continuing education students can take courses over the Internet at their convenience.  Web Seminars: students can use the Internet to virtually attend Web seminars
19. 19 8. 4G/LTE Services There are number of telecom operators offering 4G LTE services in Somalia, namely Somnet in Mogadishu, Somtel International based in Somaliland. While Sahal Telecom have launched time division duplex LTE (TD-LTE) networks in Mogadishu
20. 20 9. Satellite hub and DTH service in Somalia Somali companies provide satellite (VSAT) and DTH Services for the first to expand its broadband enterprise Services in East and Central Africa and the Middle East.
21. 21 10. Data Center Facilities Somali Telecom companies provide data center facility. Private Cabling Rack Space Power Security Hardware Management
22. 22 Recommendations for developing broadband and reducing the costs of Internet connection 1. Optimization of international bandwidth use and reduction of the associated costs. Three measures are proposed that should help to optimize bandwidth use:  Promoting the use of country domain names;  Installation of regional and national Internet exchange points;  Development of local content.
23. 2. Facilitating construction of basic broadband infrastructure National Backbone Cooperative stakeholders Objectives of the cooperative Recommendations for developing broadband and reducing the costs of Internet connection
24. 3. Improving the legislative and regulatory framework in order to promote competition . Application of existing laws and regulations Adoption of affordable texts promoting infrastructure construction 4 Strong political action at the Federal level Recommendations for developing broadband and reducing the costs of Internet connection
25. Conclusion The telecommunications sector in Somalia has undergone positive changes during the past decade, with the opening of submarine cable, the creation of national regulatory authorities, and the emergence of many Internet Service providers. The positive result of these changes has been the strong growth in the sector, with a boom in mobile telephony and Internet access . The situation of the Internet is getting better. It was found that the number of Internet users is still low and tariffs high compared to the rest of the world, but its expected to improve in the following years
26. THANKS