Somaliland

Overview

Somaliland (صوماليلاند‎‎), officially the Republic of Somaliland, is a self-declared state internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.

Telecommunications Regulatory Environment

Somaliland is not a member of the ITU. The regulatory body governing communications policy is the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, who is also charged with regulating the state's radio frequency spectrum activities such as planning, allocations, and licencing. The Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications is based in the capital, Hargeisa. Somaliland has passed the Somaliland Telecommunication Act (Act No: 50/2011), which has only been partially implemented, and subject to some controversy. 

Somaliland’s government takes a light regulatory approach to telecommunications and has sought a regulatory regime that does not stunt competition and growth, and the proponents of the Communications Act see it as the foundation of the new regulatory process.

Somaliland’s National Development Plan 2017-2022 states that by 2021 the government intends on increasing universal and affordable access to communications technology, as well as establishing spectrum management, and improving national telecoms standards.

Telecommunications Market

The rapid development of the telecoms sector in Somaliland took place in the mid-1990s during Somaliland’s early state-building years. As such these major telecommunication service providers competed in a deregulated market with the absence of: taxes, regulatory laws and the collapse of foreign exchange controls as well as the lack of license providers. Since then these major telecom operators moved quickly to take advantage of the lack of restrictions and regulation made possible by the lack of a functioning regulatory law overseeing the telecoms sector.

Internet and telephone services are reported to cover 95% of the country.