SomCable

SomCable is a private Internet and telecommunications provider headquartered in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. The company was founded in 2010 by local businessman Mohamed Aw Said and developed around the goal of improving Somaliland's international and domestic communications infrastructure. Its activities have included submarine-cable construction and landing, fiber-optic network deployment, fixed broadband, wireless connectivity, and mobile-broadband-related services. A central part of SomCable's development was the construction of a submarine-cable connection between Djibouti and Berbera. SomCable announced in 2010 that it had been contracted to undertake the cable project, which was completed in September 2014. The Berbera landing gave Somaliland a direct connection to international telecommunications infrastructure and supported the delivery of higher-capacity Internet services than were generally available through older, more constrained connections. SomCable's infrastructure was connected to the Africa-1 submarine cable system, enabling international traffic to enter through Berbera and helping establish the port as an important communications gateway. In 2014, SomCable introduced what was described as Somaliland's first LTE solution and its first GEPON/FTTP service. These launches expanded the company's role beyond international transmission infrastructure into access services for businesses, institutions, and households. GEPON and FTTP technologies allow fiber connections to be extended closer to, or directly into, customer premises, supporting higher throughput and more scalable service than conventional copper-based access. The company subsequently became associated with the development of Somaliland's fiber network. In 2015, SomCable became the first service provider in Somaliland to offer a fiber-optic network. The network was reported to extend for more than 1,700 kilometers, giving the company a substantial fixed-line footprint in a market where telecommunications infrastructure had been developing from a relatively limited base. SomCable has also been described as Somaliland's only fiber operator in the referenced material, although the competitive structure of the market may change over time. SomCable's positioning is infrastructure-led: rather than functioning solely as a retail Internet brand, it has combined international connectivity, metropolitan and long-distance fiber deployment, fixed broadband, and wireless access. Its infrastructure has been presented as supporting scalable bandwidth for residents and organizations in Somaliland. The company's importance therefore lies both in its customer-facing services and in its contribution to the territory's broader telecommunications backbone. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about SomCable's current ownership, management team, financial performance, customer numbers, geographic expansion after the initial network buildout, and present service portfolio. The company should consequently be understood primarily through its documented infrastructure milestones: its 2010 founding and submarine-cable initiative, the completion of the Berbera connection in 2014, the introduction of LTE and GEPON/FTTP services, and the expansion of fiber access announced in 2015.

SomCable was established in 2010 in Hargeisa by Mohamed Aw Said, a Somaliland businessman. Its formation coincided with efforts to strengthen Somaliland's connection to international telecommunications networks and to increase the availability of reliable, high-capacity Internet access. The company was organized as a private Internet and telecommunications provider rather than only as a retail reseller, with infrastructure development at the center of its business model. In its founding year, SomCable announced a project to bring submarine-cable connectivity from the port of Djibouti to Berbera. The planned route was strategically important because it would provide Somaliland with a direct landing point for international communications traffic. The project was intended to improve available bandwidth and create a foundation for scalable Internet services for households, businesses, and institutions. The cable initiative was completed in September 2014. Following completion of the Berbera connection, SomCable's infrastructure was linked to the Africa-1 submarine-cable system, a system constructed by Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks. This connection allowed international traffic to be delivered through Berbera and strengthened Somaliland's position within regional and global telecommunications networks. The project also gave SomCable a role in the development of infrastructure serving the wider market, in addition to its role as a service provider. In October 2014, SomCable launched an LTE solution and a GEPON/FTTP solution, both described in the available reference material as firsts for Somaliland. LTE provided a wireless broadband capability, while GEPON/FTTP enabled fiber-based access toward or directly into customer premises. These offerings reflected a shift from reliance on basic or lower-capacity connectivity toward more modern access technologies capable of supporting faster and more scalable services. In 2015, SomCable became the first reported service provider in Somaliland to offer a fiber-optic network. The network was reported to cover more than 1,700 kilometers. This expansion made fiber the defining element of SomCable's market identity and positioned the company as a major builder of Somaliland's fixed telecommunications infrastructure. The company was also described as Somaliland's only fiber operator in the cited material. SomCable's documented history therefore follows a clear infrastructure sequence: establishment in 2010, development of a Djibouti-to-Berbera submarine-cable route, completion of the landing project in 2014, introduction of LTE and GEPON/FTTP access in the same year, and expansion of a broad fiber-optic network in 2015. There is limited reliable public information in the supplied references about later corporate developments, current executives, ownership, financial results, customer totals, or present-day coverage. Those areas require additional verification before being added to the company's profile.

• 2015

  Fiber-optic network introduced

  [1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  SomCable becomes the first reported service provider in Somaliland to offer a fiber-optic network, with reported coverage exceeding 1,700 kilometers.

• 2014

  Berbera cable project completed

  [1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  The submarine-cable initiative is completed in September, creating a new international connectivity landing point at Berbera.

• 2014

  LTE and GEPON/FTTP services launched

  [1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  SomCable launches Somaliland's first reported LTE solution and first GEPON/FTTP solution, broadening its access-technology portfolio.

• 2010

  SomCable is founded

  [1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  SomCable is founded in Hargeisa by local businessman Mohamed Aw Said as a private Internet and telecommunications provider.

• 2010

  Djibouti–Berbera submarine-cable project announced

  [1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  SomCable announces a project to connect Djibouti port with Berbera by submarine cable, with the aim of improving international bandwidth and communications capacity in Somaliland.

A Somaliland telecommunications infrastructure and Internet-service brand focused on expanding high-capacity international, fiber-optic, fixed-broadband, and wireless connectivity.

• Fixed telecommunications infrastructure · 2015

  Fiber-optic network

  SomCable's fiber-optic network is the company's principal documented infrastructure offering. Introduced commercially in 2015, it was reported to extend for more than 1,700 kilometers across Somaliland. The network supports high-capacity fixed connectivity and forms the foundation for broadband services delivered to customers and organizations.

• Wireless broadband · 2014

  LTE solution

  SomCable launched an LTE solution in October 2014. The service represented an early deployment of advanced mobile-broadband technology in Somaliland and complemented the company's fixed and fiber infrastructure by providing wireless access capacity.

• Fiber access · 2014

  GEPON/FTTP solution

  The GEPON/FTTP offering introduced fiber-based access closer to, or directly into, customer premises. It was launched in 2014 and was described as Somaliland's first solution of its type, providing a more scalable platform for fixed broadband than legacy access technologies.

• Submarine-cable connectivity · 2014

  Berbera international connectivity

  SomCable's submarine-cable initiative connected Djibouti and Berbera and provided an international landing route for telecommunications traffic. The Berbera connection was subsequently associated with the Africa-1 submarine-cable system and supported the company's international Internet-service infrastructure.

• 2015

  Shift toward fiber-optic accessGeneration change

  Background

  Demand for higher-capacity and more scalable broadband encouraged expansion of fixed fiber infrastructure.

  Action taken

  SomCable introduced a fiber-optic network and was reported to have expanded it beyond 1,700 kilometers.

  Aftermath

  The move established fiber deployment as a defining part of SomCable's market position in Somaliland.

  Source

• 2014

  Launch LTE and GEPON/FTTP access technologiesProduct launch

  Background

  After developing international connectivity, SomCable sought to extend its role into modern access services.

  Action taken

  The company launched an LTE solution and a GEPON/FTTP solution in Somaliland.

  Aftermath

  These launches broadened SomCable's technology portfolio beyond submarine and backbone infrastructure.

  Source

• 2010

  Invest in a direct submarine-cable routeStrategy

  Background

  Somaliland needed stronger international telecommunications capacity and more scalable Internet infrastructure.

  Action taken

  SomCable pursued a submarine-cable connection from Djibouti to Berbera and developed Berbera as an international communications landing point.

  Aftermath

  The project was completed in 2014 and supported the subsequent expansion of Internet, wireless, and fiber-based services.

  Source

• 2015

  SomCable becomes Somaliland's first fiber-optic service provider[1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  SomCable began offering a fiber-optic network in Somaliland and was reported to have a network covering more than 1,700 kilometers.

• 2014

  Berbera submarine-cable initiative completed[1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The submarine-cable project associated with SomCable was completed in September 2014, establishing a telecommunications landing point at Berbera and supporting higher-capacity Internet services.

• 2014

  SomCable launches LTE and GEPON/FTTP solutions[1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  SomCable introduced Somaliland's first reported LTE solution and first GEPON/FTTP solution, extending its activities from international infrastructure into advanced access services.

• 2010

  SomCable announces Djibouti–Berbera submarine-cable project[1]SomCableen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product launch

  SomCable announced that it had been contracted to develop a submarine-cable connection from Djibouti to Berbera, creating a new route for international telecommunications traffic into Somaliland.

1. 1SomCableen.wikipedia.org