Somalia is working to put in place a favourable regulatory framework to strengthen its digital infrastructure. In particular, regulator the National Communications Authority is preparing the introduction of new regulations on submarine cable landings.
A unified fibre optic deployment policy covering all aspects of fibre installation and rollout in the country is the aim. Such an initiative, the government suggests, will reduce the costs associated with the deployment and extension of fibre optic infrastructure, while promoting the growth of the modern digital economy and national interconnection.
To this end, says Ecofin reporting on this development, the Department of Communications and Technology has organised a public consultation to get the opinions and contributions of the various stakeholders.
On its Facebook page, it says: “The unified fibre optic deployment policy aims to guide national telecommunications companies towards collaboration for the installation and expansion of fibre optic cables.”
The country’s present domestic fibre optic network is underdeveloped and fragmented, even with the existing connection to five international submarine cables (a sixth is on the way).
Thus a fair distribution of available capacity seems some way off. As the World Bank said in a report earlier this year: “The absence of a robust backbone network prevents the distribution of international capacity across the country, resulting in unequal broadband access, heterogeneous network quality, limited redundancy and slowing down competition in the market.”
Ecofin also highlights an internet penetration rate of only 27.6% in early 2024, and numerous obstacles to its extension, including limited access to affordable, broadband-enabled devices, a lack of attractive data-driven services, insufficient local relevant content, and a digital skills deficit. Arguably, these issues should be addressed at the same time as digital infrastructure.
