Technology
Telcos open their pipes to builders
Somalia's biggest telecom company, Hormuud, lets outside businesses plug into its payment, SMS, USSD and voice-call systems. That means a new service can reach millions of phone users without building its own network; the online shop SOOMAR, for example, is built on Hormuud's EVC Plus payment link.
The force
An "API" is a door that lets one company's software use another company's system. Hormuud offers businesses APIs for EVC Plus payments, SMS, USSD menus and interactive voice calls (IVR) (Garowe Online). It also runs a business SMS portal (Hormuud).
How big the network is
- EVC Plus is reported to handle about 155 million transactions worth about $2.7 billion a month (TechCabal).
- Hormuud's 4G network covers more than 70% of the population (same source).
- Somalia had 11.5 million mobile connections in late 2025 (DataReportal).
Who is building on it
- SOOMAR, an online shop, uses the EVC Plus API to take payments (Garowe Online).
- Caaqil, Hormuud's own Somali AI service, runs over SMS on *1000#, showing what the same channels can carry (Garowe Online).
- Aid groups. More than 145 aid organisations pay people through EVC Plus (TechCabal).
The wider network
- Price. Mobile data costs about $0.40 per gigabyte, cheaper than Kenya's $0.82 (Broadband.co.uk).
- Partners. Hormuud and Germany's development agency, GIZ, signed an agreement in March 2026 on cross-border payments and AI (TechCabal).
- Somaliland has its own networks and wallets, Telesom's Zaad and eDahab.
Outside the country
M-Shwari, a savings and loans service, reached 7.2 million customers in about two years by building on top of Kenya's M-Pesa instead of building its own network (FSD Africa).
What to watch
When one company runs the pipes, prices and access depend on it. Clear rules from the regulator matter.
What it means for young Somalis
A young developer in Mogadishu can build an app, a USSD menu or a voice line and reach millions of people through networks that already exist. The hardest part, the network, is built.
Sources
- Garowe Online · garoweonline.com
- Hormuud · mysms.hormuud.com
- TechCabal · techcabal.com
- DataReportal · datareportal.com
- Garowe Online · garoweonline.com
- Broadband.co.uk · broadband.co.uk
- FSD Africa · fsdafrica.org
Gathered in our research record “Foundational tailwinds”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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