SOMALIA NOT ENTIRELY CUT OFF FROM INTERNET
This brief article clarifies the situation vis-a-vis internet connectivity in Somalia, and mentions the economic implications for most users there.
SICO was the only ISP in Mogadishu but not in the rest of Somalia. There are other companies providing internet services in Hargeisa and Bossasso in Somaliland and Puntland respectively, and Telcom Somalia is one of them. Hargeisa and Bossasso have broken away from southern Somalia but they are not internationally recognized. Telcom Somalia is providing Internet services via a server in Norway to over 50 subscribers in Mogadishu and other outlying areas, but this approach is extremely expensive for ordinary Somalis.
However the economic impact is clear. As Abdi Mohamed of Telcom Somalia sees it:"Personally, I think Somalis, especially those operating money transfer businesses, largely appreciated the internet because of its convenience. No one can underestimate the importance of the Hawalas in sustaining both the economy of Somalia and the livelihood of the entire population who depend enormously on transfers from relatives abroad".