August 7, 2025 – Warsame Policy & Media Network (WAPMEN)

“Starlink now available in Somalia!” With those simple words, Elon Musk may have just sparked the most disruptive technological reckoning Somalia has seen in decades.

For years, Somali telecommunications companies have operated in a fragmented, monopolistic fashion, profiting from the very dysfunction they refused to fix. Despite Somalia’s brilliant entrepreneurial potential and the rise of mobile money and digital tools, Somali Telcos have shamefully failed to do the one thing people needed most: connect with one another.

It is a known fact across Somalia’s towns and cities that families, friends, and businesses were forced to carry multiple SIM cards — Hormuud, Somtel, Golis, Nationlink — just to call different networks. Why? Because these telecom giants refused to interconnect. It was not a technical problem. It was greed, negligence, and hostage-style capitalism.

Poor Somalis, displaced families, rural traders, and even civil servants were paying the price: disconnected, digitally excluded, and forced to navigate a deliberately fragmented system. For far too long, Somali telecom monopolies were accountable to no one — not to government regulators, not to consumer needs, not to national interest.

But now, Starlink has arrived.

Elon Musk’s satellite-powered internet service offers more than just fast broadband. It offers freedom — freedom from the monopolistic control of local telecoms, freedom from patchy coverage, and freedom from overpriced, overcontrolled services.

With Starlink, a Somali villager, student, business owner, or journalist can now bypass the local Telcos completely and beam their signal from space. No SIM card battles. No interconnectivity chaos. No political manipulation through telecom blackout. It’s a true technological revolution — one that couldn’t come at a better time.

What Happens Next?

Now that Somalia is lit up on the Starlink coverage map, Telcos must reckon with three hard truths:

1. Your Monopoly is Over – The era of exploiting Somali citizens through exclusive SIM networks and refusing interconnection is coming to an end. The people now have another way.

2. You Must Evolve or Die – Compete with real services, real prices, and real innovation. No more hiding behind clan loyalties or political deals. The market is being liberated.

3. Connectivity is a Human Right – For years, Somali Telcos acted like gatekeepers of communication. Starlink shifts that power directly to the people.

A Wake-Up Call

To Somali regulatory authorities, if they exist at all: this is your moment. Stop being bystanders. Enforce mandatory interconnectivity, consumer protections, and fair competition laws. The private sector must no longer operate like rogue cartels.

To Somali entrepreneurs and tech minds: leverage this shift. With Starlink, build the next wave of apps, services, education platforms, and fintech that truly connect Somalia — not divide it by SIM card.

To the people of Somalia: demand better. The days of being forced to carry 3 SIM cards to speak to your cousin are over.

Starlink may have come from the sky, but it has delivered a very earthly message: the future belongs to those who connect.