Telecoms and internet
Somtel: the Dahabshiil phone company, eDahab and the DARE1 cable
Somtel is a mobile phone and internet company based in Hargeisa that works in both Somaliland and Somalia. The money transfer group Dahabshiil bought a majority stake in 2008 and Wikipedia gives its ownership as 95 percent Dahabshiil. It runs the eDahab mobile wallet, co-owns the DARE1 undersea cable with Djibouti Telecom, and in January 2024 was reported as the first operator to launch 5G in the Somali regions.
The short version
Somtel is a telecommunications company headquartered in Hargeisa that provides mobile voice, data and mobile money in both Somaliland and Somalia (Somtel, Regions, 2017; Wikipedia, Somtel). Wikipedia gives its founding year as 2009 and its ownership as 95 percent Dahabshiil and 5 percent public shares, and says the company is registered in the British Virgin Islands (Wikipedia, Somtel). The Dahabshiil group bought its majority stake in 2008 (Wikipedia, Communications in Somalia). It is listed as part of the Dahabshiil group portfolio (Somtel, Group portfolio).
eDahab
Somtel and the Dahabshiil group launched the eDahab mobile wallet in Somaliland (Somaliland Press, archived 2015). In 2018 the Somaliland Sun described eDahab as changing how markets settle payments (Somaliland Sun, 20 October 2018, cited in Clingendael 2019).
The DARE1 cable
DARE1 is a 5,400 km undersea cable linking Djibouti, Mogadishu and Mombasa, with up to 30 terabits per second of capacity. Its owners are Djibouti Telecom and Somtel. In October 2018 the two firms announced that their supply contract with the cable maker TE SubCom had come into force (SubTel Forum, 2018). Somalia's National Communications Authority lists Somtel as co-owner of the DARE1 landing (NCA, submarine cables).
5G and other links
- In November 2013 O3b Networks agreed to supply satellite capacity to Somtel (O3b, archived 2014).
- Somtel's networks run on GSM, 3G (2100 MHz) and 4G LTE (800 MHz) (Wikipedia, Somtel).
- In January 2024 Somtel and eDahab announced a 5G network, reported as the first in the Somali regions (DatacenterDynamics, January 2024; The Star, 1 January 2024).
Market share
The Clingendael Institute's 2019 study said Dahabshiil, through Somtel, had about 16 percent of Somali SIM cards, against about 81 percent for Hormuud, Telesom and Golis together, and that Dahabshiil was the second biggest competitor in Hargeisa, Garowe and Mogadishu (Clingendael, Transnational capital in Somalia, June 2019). In July 2014 Hormuud, NationLink and Somtel agreed to set up a joint company so their customers could call across networks (Wikipedia, Communications in Somalia, citing TeleGeography).
Sources disagree
- First 5G. Somtel's January 2024 launch was billed as the first; Hormuud also announced 5G in several towns in 2024 (DatacenterDynamics; see Hormuud Telecom).
- Founding year. Wikipedia gives 2009; Dahabshiil's stake dates from 2008 (Wikipedia, Somtel).
See also Dahabshiil and Who connects Somalia.
Sources
- Somtel, Regions, 2017 · somtelnetwork.net
- Wikipedia, Somtel · en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, Communications in Somalia · en.wikipedia.org
- Somtel, Group portfolio · somtelnetwork.net
- Somaliland Press, archived 2015 · web.archive.org
- Somaliland Sun, 20 October 2018, cited in Clingendael 2019 · kpsrl.org
- SubTel Forum, 2018 · subtelforum.com
- NCA, submarine cables · mail.nca.gov.so
- O3b, archived 2014 · web.archive.org
- DatacenterDynamics, January 2024 · datacenterdynamics.com
- The Star, 1 January 2024 · the-star.co.ke
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
Same era
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- 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.
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- 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.