page_title: History of Somalia (1991–2006)
section_title: Communications
hierarchical_section_title: History of Somalia (1991–2006) / Social organization / Communications
caption_attribution_description: Haatuf newspaper of Hargesia
context_page_description: Between the fall of Siad Barre's government in January 1991 and the establishment of the Transitional National Government in 2006, there was no central government in Somalia. Large areas of the country such as Puntland and Galmudug were internationally unrecognized and administered as autonomous regions of Somalia, while forces in the northwest declared the Republic of Somaliland. The remaining areas, including the capital Mogadishu, were divided into smaller territories ruled by competing faction leaders. Somalia has been cited as a real-world example of a stateless society and a country with no formal legal system.
  The Transitional Federal Government, formed in 2004, was recognized as the central government of Somalia. Before December 2006, the TFG controlled only the town of Baidoa, the sixth largest city. The intervention of Ethiopian government forces following the rise of the Islamic Courts Union, culminating in the latter's defeat in the Battle of Baidoa, allowed the TFG to expand its control under the protection of Ethiopian troops.
context_section_description: In the absence of government service provision and regulation, private businessmen stepped in to provide telecommunications and mail services. In 2007 parts of Somalia had some of the best voice telecommunications in Africa, with 10 or more competing companies ready to wire home or office and provide crystal-clear service, including international long distance, for about $10 a month." According to the CIA World Factbook, private telephone companies "offer service in most major cities" via wireless technology, charging "the lowest international rates on the continent", Installation time for a land-line was just three days, while in neighboring Kenya waiting lists were many years long. On the other hand, just 0.7% of the population of Somalia had access to internet in 2006, a sixth of Kenya's internet penetration at the time, and in 2007 mobile phone penetration rates in Somalia were amongst the lowest in Africa.
  The Economist argued the lack of telecommunication regulation in Somalia represented "a vivid illustration of the way in which governments…can often be more of a hindrance than a help" to private entrepreneurs.
  Abdullahi Mohammed Hussein of Telecom Somalia stated that "the government post and telecoms company used to have a monopoly but after the regime was toppled, we were free to set up our own business", though he also commented that he would be "interested in paying taxes" if an incoming government improved the security situation.
caption: Private media enterprises – such as Haatuf newspaper from Hargeisa shown here – rapidly grew in the aftermath of state collapse.
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