Can Somali government shutdown the Internet?

[Deeq A.]

By: Ismail Osman

Many of you ask via private messages “Can Somali government shutdown country internet? and the simple answer is No No No

Somali Government does not have the capacity, technical know-how and Network Operation Center (NOC) to shutdown the internet. There is no even 2 servers own by the Government that are connected via intranet let alone internet.

To shutdown or disrupt internet services Government must use or have (Internet Exchange Point) IXP and or physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers (ISPs) and content delivery networks (CDNs) exchange Internet traffic between their networks autonomously.

As you may know there is no one entry point of internet in Somalia. We’ve many legal or illegal service providers that use other means to bring internet to Somalia. For example. Somaliland traffic comes straight from Djibouti, most of the Southern Somalia traffic is routed via Kenya. The only ISP that uses allocated IPv4 for Somalia is HORMUUD via VIASAT & DALKOM Cable via EASSY and these two does not have mechanism to exchange internet traffic. and no Government policy to govern from one another.

Government that uses GMAIL for email service, cannot shutdown the internet.