Saturday November 20, 2021
MOGADISHU (HOL) - It is yet another milestone achievement for Hormuud Telco to officially launch the e-Sim support, becoming the first telecommunication company to roll out the service in the country with a view to embracing the ever-growing technological advancements in the industry.
The e-Sim, shortened for an Embedded Subscriber Identity Module, or just an Embedded Sim Card, allows compatible smartphones to have more than one phone number (SIMs) in a device.
One can use the e-SIM to connect virtually to the network without the need for a physical sim card. As a result, Somalia joins other African nations that have rolled out E-SIM support in their countries.
Hormuud telco, which has over 3.6 subscribers, announced the launch of the service in August after discerning that a significant number of its customers were carrying e-Sim supporting devices and it was high time to present the service to the relevant customers.
Hormuud Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Mohamud Yusuf told Garowe Online that the service, which has been under an exploratory phase, was now fully operational, enabling the customers with compatible devices to start utilising it.
“Thousands of state-of-the-art smartphones which support the latest technological upgrades were shipped into the country in the past few years. Cognizant of the new features of these phones, we were obliged to activate relevant new features that are compatible with these phones, eSIM service being one of them. We will never accept to lag behind the world as far as telecommunication is concerned,” stressed CEO Yusuf.
He added, "Our telecommunication policies and strategy, which was previously tailored to suit the headways in technology, have made it possible for us to launch this service."
Open telecommunication policy
The Somali government welcomed the introduction of the new e-Sim service, underscoring the importance of embracing new technologies and telecommunication revolutions and commended the fast pace at which local telcos were growing.
Despite bearing the brunt of years of conflict, Somalia, however, has been lauded for its commitment to embracing technology and maximizing its opportunities.
The National ICT Policy Strategy, developed by the federal government, has been important in helping the local telecommunication companies to grow and interact with the rest of the world.
“When you are working in technology, you ought to be shrewd enough to predict what the future holds, and plan accordingly to remain on the fast-moving train. I am delighted to know that the local telecommunication companies recognised the need to invest in the future,” said Abdiaziz Abdullahi, the General Manager of the National Communications Authority of Somalia.
The Somali government acknowledges the needs of the telco companies in order to grow further and stronger and introduce creative technological enhancements, hence the government's commitment to laying down beneficial policies and regulations for the companies.
Somalia is considered as one of the countries in the world with affordable internet, ranking number one in Africa, and seventh worldwide in 2020.
According to a survey conducted by the British technology research firm Cable, the country is overtaking many African countries with regard to internet accessibility despite the political and security challenges.
Somalia has the cheapest data in Africa where 1GB of data costs $0.5. with over 70% of Somalis having access to 4G, as per Hormuud.