Telecoms and internet
Hormuud Telecom: Somalia's largest phone and mobile money company
Hormuud Telecom was founded in Mogadishu on 2 April 2002 by Somali shareholders and grew into the country's largest phone network and the operator of EVC Plus, the biggest mobile money service. It says it employs more than 20,000 people and covers most of the population with 4G and, since 2024, 5G in many towns.
How it began
Hormuud Telecom was founded on 2 April 2002 in Mogadishu by a group of Somali shareholders, starting with 16 network sites (Wikipedia, Hormuud Telecom). It grew during the years when Somalia had no working national government, building its network without a state regulator (University of Oxford research).
It is privately owned by many Somali shareholders. Sources give very different counts, from about 18,000 to more than 189,000 investors (Wikipedia).
Size
- Mobile money: Hormuud's EVC Plus is reported to handle about 155 million transactions worth about $2.7 billion a month, and to pay aid for more than 145 aid groups (TechCabal, June 2026).
- Jobs: more than 20,000 full- and part-time staff in 2021, about 45 percent of them engineers, which would make it the largest private employer in the country (Wikipedia).
- Market share: estimates range from about 39 percent (Omdia, late 2023) to 45 to 47 percent (Connecting Africa; TS2).
Services
- EVC Plus mobile money, used through simple phone codes on any phone. Its first transfers date from 2011 or 2012, depending on the source (Wikipedia).
- WAAFI, a smartphone app for payments and international transfers, launched in 2021 (same source).
- Mobile, fixed-line and home and business internet.
- Phones on credit: Hormuud planned to finance 100,000 smartphones for low-income users by the end of 2026, with a $19 deposit and no credit history needed (TechCabal).
Network
- 4G covers more than 70 percent of the population (TechCabal).
- 5G launched in 2024 in Mogadishu, Kismayo, Galkayo, Baidoa, Dhusamareeb, Beledweyne, Afgoye, Merca, Dhobley and other towns (Connecting Africa).
- Undersea cables: Hormuud owns the Somali segments of the PEACE cable, 40 percent of the Somali landing of DARE1, and a share of G2A (National Communications Authority).
Licences
- In February 2021 the Central Bank gave EVC Plus Somalia's first mobile money licence (VOA).
- Hormuud holds spectrum licence NCA-MFSL-003/2023 and is listed as compliant by the National Communications Authority (NCA, licence register).
- The GSMA re-certified EVC Plus for secure mobile money in August 2025 (Garowe Online).
The foundation
The Hormuud Salaam Foundation, set up in 2009 with Salaam Somali Bank, gave more than $5 million to COVID-19 response in 2020, built Somalia's first public oxygen plant in 2021, and gave $1 million for flood relief in 2023 (Wikipedia).
See also
See Mobile money in Somalia, Telecoms and internet, Who connects Somalia and Somali business groups.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Hormuud Telecom · en.wikipedia.org
- University of Oxford research · ora.ox.ac.uk
- TechCabal, June 2026 · techcabal.com
- Connecting Africa · connectingafrica.com
- TS2 · ts2.tech
- National Communications Authority · mail.nca.gov.so
- VOA · voanews.com
- NCA, licence register · mail.nca.gov.so
- Garowe Online · garoweonline.com
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Somali telecoms, internet and media companies: directorySomali phone, internet and media companies, with founding year, head office, owner where public, and source.
- EVC Plus: Hormuud's mobile money serviceEVC Plus in facts: what it is, when it started, the 2021 licence, user numbers, the GSMA certification, links to banks and the Waafi app, and its use for aid payments.
- WAAFI: the Somali mobile money app and cardWAAFI in facts: the 2021 launch by Hormuud, what the app does, the companies behind it, the 2024 Waafi Mastercard card and how it fits with EVC Plus.
- Zaad: Telesom's mobile money service in SomalilandZaad in facts: the 2009 launch by Telesom, how it was built, merchants and salaries, the dollar and money changers, usage figures, currency exchange and the 2024 GSMA certification.
- Sahal: Golis Telecom's mobile money service in PuntlandSahal in facts: launch by Golis Telecom, how to register and what it does, how customer money is held, its use for local taxes in Puntland, and its certifications.
- eDahab: the Dahabshiil group's mobile money serviceeDahab in facts: who owns it, how it links to Dahabshiil and Somtel, the 2018 Somaliland shilling rule, the 2018 launch in Mogadishu, and its links with banks.