Hargeisa (Dawan Africa) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi “Cirro” announced on Saturday that recent increases in internet and mobile call charges have been suspended following discussions between the administration and telecom operators.
“As the President of the Republic of Somaliland, I inform my people that the government and the companies providing telecommunications services in the country have agreed to suspend the recent decision to increase the prices of internet and mobile phone calls, a decision previously announced by the companies,” he said in a statement.
The president said the suspension would take immediate effect, with prices reverting to their previous rates until further notice. He added that the administration will hold urgent discussions with internet and mobile service providers to resolve the matter.
Somtel, Telesom, and Soltelco — the three companies providing telecommunications services in Somaliland — have all confirmed that their charges will return to the levels in place before the recent price increases.
The decision comes after widespread public criticism of the hikes, with some groups planning protests against the increases. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology had earlier ordered a review of the changes, saying a committee would be tasked with investigating the reasons behind the price adjustments.
