FGS welcomes new internet cable connecting Somalia with the world

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Abdi Anshur Hassan, Minister for Post, Telecom, and Technology, has welcomed the 2Africa subsea cable initiative, which will be one of the world’s largest subsea cable projects that will interconnect Europe, the Middle East, and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa.

The 2Africa cable is an initiative of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC. Dalkom Somalia, which has a landing station in Mogadishu, is one of the shareholders of WIOCC, and Dalkom's CEO is the Chairman of the WIOCC Board of Directors.

The minister thanked Dalkom Somalia for being part of this initiative that will not only bring new opportunities but also provide redundant international connections as we seek continuity for businesses through an uninterrupted internet connection.

“We are confident that improved connectivity will help our growing digital economy and enhance internet-based services,” said the minister, adding “As a government, we are determined to promote competition and innovation in the ICT sector through creating a conducive environment for investors.”

According to the Mobile Data Pricing 2020 Report by Cable.co.uk, Somalia comes as the 7th country in the world and first country in Africa where the average cost of 1GB of the internet is the cheapest.

The Minister finally urged the private sector to invest in constructing a national backbone project - through a public-private partnership - that will connect the country through a terrestrial fiber network, which will enable online activities that call for high-speed broadband Internet, including the creation and use of e-government services.