# AI now works on basic phones

> AI no longer needs a smartphone or internet: people can call a short number or send an SMS and get answers by voice or text on any basic phone.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/forces/ai-now-works-on-basic-phones/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## The force

Most Somalis are not online. About 5.47 million people, 27.6% of the population, used the internet in late 2025 ([DataReportal](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-somalia)). But 11.5 million mobile connections exist ([DataReportal](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-somalia)). AI that works through a voice call or an SMS reaches people who have only a basic phone.

## Outside the country

- **Viamo, Zambia.** Its "Ask Viamo Anything" service started as a pilot in May 2023 and opened to all users of its 667 line in November 2024. By January 2025 about 36,000 people, 59% of them women, had asked about 614,000 questions, and 95% got an answer. Messages per user rose from 9 to 40 and calls per user from 5 to 25 ([GSMA](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GSMA_Viamo_Voice-First-Generative-AI-for-Impact_2025.pdf)).
- **Viamo overall** works in 25 countries and had 24.7 million active users in 2024 ([GSMA](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GSMA_Viamo_Voice-First-Generative-AI-for-Impact_2025.pdf)). It runs free voice lines on any phone, with no internet needed ([Viamo](https://viamo.io/our-2025-impact/)).
- **KrosAI** launched a call-in AI assistant in Nigeria in July 2025 ([TechCabal](https://techcabal.com/?p=167028)).

## Inside the country

Hormuud Telecom's **Caaqil** answers questions in Somali by SMS on health, farming, school, money and general knowledge. Users dial *1000# and send their question to 1000. No app, smartphone or internet is needed ([Garowe Online](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/hormuud-s-caaqil-ai-breaks-barriers-smart-knowledge-without-smartphones-or-internet)). Hormuud has not published how many people use it.

Somali speech technology is also growing. NaMaqal turns spoken Somali into text. Its accuracy on Maay is about 40%, while its Maxaa-tiri coverage is described as strong ([TechCabal](https://techcabal.com/2025/11/18/namaqal-somali-speech-to-text/)). That gap matters, because Maay is one of Somalia's two official forms of Somali.

## Why voice fits Somalis

Somali was not written officially until the 1970s, and Somalis are often called a nation of poets ([Media Landscapes](https://medialandscapes.org/country/somalia/traditional-communication/overview)). In 2014 about a third of BBC radio listeners in Somalia listened on their phones ([Radio Today](https://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/04/bbc-radio-gets-large-following-in-somalia/)). Information already moves by voice.

## What it means for young Somalis

A mother in a village, a herder or a grandparent can ask a question in Somali and hear an answer, on the phone they already own. Services built this way can reach the whole country, not only the 27.6% who are online.

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.