AI now works on basic phones

The force

Most Somalis are not online. About 5.47 million people, 27.6% of the population, used the internet in late 2025 (DataReportal). But 11.5 million mobile connections exist (DataReportal). 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).
• Viamo overall works in 25 countries and had 24.7 million active users in 2024 (GSMA). It runs free voice lines on any phone, with no internet needed (Viamo).
• KrosAI launched a call-in AI assistant in Nigeria in July 2025 (TechCabal).

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). 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). 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). In 2014 about a third of BBC radio listeners in Somalia listened on their phones (Radio Today). 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.