Hormuud Telecom

What Hormuud Telecom does

Hormuud Telecom is Somalia's largest telecommunications operator, headquartered in Mogadishu and founded in 2002 by 283 shareholders out of post-civil war Somalia. The company has grown to over 35,000 employees (the country's largest private employer) with more than 12,000 shareholders drawn from the Somali diaspora in the UK, US, and Canada. It serves over 4 million regular users across southern and central Somalia through a network of 800+ towers providing 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G coverage, supported by fiber optic connectivity delivered via a partnership with Liquid Telecom.

The product portfolio centers on EVC Plus, Somalia's most widely adopted mobile money platform with 8.8 million active subscribers, which underpins 155 million monthly transactions and approximately 70% mobile money penetration nationwide. Consumer services span prepaid/postpaid voice, Anfac voice bundles, Anfac Plus data packages, Kudhan unlimited 5G internet bundled with Nasiye IPTV, ADSL Plus fiber broadband, and Mifi Plus portable routers. Enterprise offerings include My SMS bulk messaging, SMS API, IVR call center solutions, USSD short codes, and dedicated Enterprise Internet (P2P). Supporting platforms include the EVC Plus Humanitarian Portal (used by NGOs for traceable cash aid distribution), Waafi fintech app, and Dalmar international roaming in 32 countries.

The business model combines prepaid subscription revenue from mass-market consumers, usage-based pricing on bulk SMS and roaming, transaction fees from mobile money, and per-seat/per-month enterprise pricing. Distribution is hybrid: 500+ customer service centers, tens of thousands of agents, USSD short codes, mobile app, and website. Pricing is positioned as Africa's cheapest — 1GB of mobile data starts at $0.18. The company holds Somalia's first Mobile Money Licence from the Central Bank, the GSMA Mobile Money Certification, and ISO 9001:2015 plus ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certifications, positioning it as the dominant and regulatorily entrenched telecom-and-mobile-money platform in the country.

Name

Hormuud Telecom

Legal name

Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc.

Website

https://hormuud.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hormuud Telecom is Somalia's largest telecommunications operator, providing mobile voice, data, broadband, and EVC Plus mobile money services to over 4 million users and 8.8 million mobile money subscribers across southern and central Somalia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812)

akta.pro primary industry

Carrier Billing & Telco Mobile Money (FSAMAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Wallet Infrastructure (Tokenization, Wallet-as-a-Service) (FSAMAEAI), Mobile Roaming & Interconnect Services (roaming hubs, IREG/TADIG, clearing) (HDAIAEAE), Alternative Payments & Digital Wallet Acceptance (A2A, RTP, wallets) (THALAHAH)

Keywords

• Mobile telecommunications services
• Mobile money platform
• Bulk SMS messaging
• Fiber broadband internet
• Enterprise internet solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Mogadishu

HQ country

Somalia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Mobile Voice Services: Prepaid and postpaid voice call packages including Anfac packages ($1-$50) offering local minutes, international minutes, and SMS bundles. Revenue from airtime recharges and scratch card sales.
2. Mobile Data and Internet: Data packages including Anfac Plus, Unlimited (5G), Mifi Plus, and FTTH/ADSL Plus broadband services. Pricing ranges from $0.5 daily packages to $90 monthly fiber plans.
3. Mobile Money (EVC Plus): Free at point of use mobile money platform. Revenue derived from transaction volume and merchant services. 8.8 million active subscribers as of 2022.
4. Business SMS (My SMS): Bulk SMS marketing platform with tiered pricing based on volume ($0.004-$0.015 per SMS). API integration services for enterprise customers.
5. Enterprise Internet (P2P): Dedicated high-speed internet connections for large institutions and businesses with custom pricing based on requirements.
6. IVR Call Center Services: Per-agent monthly pricing for call center solutions ($25-$50 per agent depending on plan tier).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hormuud Telecom provides mobile voice and data services, mobile broadband, fiber-to-the-home internet, international roaming, and enterprise connectivity to consumers and businesses across Somalia. Its flagship EVC Plus mobile money platform enables person-to-person transfers, merchant payments, bill payments, and salary disbursement. The company also operates bulk SMS, USSD-based value-added services, IPTV (Nasiye), and a fintech super-app (Waafi) serving as a financial inclusion layer for unbanked populations.

Product overview

Hormuud Telecom offers a comprehensive telecommunications portfolio centered on its EVC Plus mobile money platform (Somalia's most popular with 8.8M+ subscribers) complemented by voice, SMS, and data services. The product architecture consists of core connectivity services (Prepaid/Postpaid plans, Anfac voice packages, Anfac Plus data bundles, Unlimited/Kudhan 5G internet, ADSL Plus broadband, Mifi Plus portable WiFi) paired with financial services (EVC Plus mobile money, Merchant accounts, Humanitarian Portal) and business solutions (My SMS bulk messaging, SMS API, IVR Call Center, USSD Short Codes, Enterprise Internet P2P). Value-added services include Keyd Plus (SIM activation), Nasiye IPTV, and Waafi fintech app. The company operates nationwide 2G, 3G, 5G networks with over 800 towers and fiber optic connectivity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EVC Plus: Somalia's leading mobile money platform - free at point of use, enabling money transfers, bill payments, and airtime purchases
• Waafi
• Nasiye
• Kudhan
• Dalmar Roaming
• My SMS
• Keyd Plus

Products and services

• EVC Plus

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of Somalis use mobile money (70% financial inclusion)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Get-Phone LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 May 2026Launched smartphone financing program to help bridge the digital divide in Somalia, enabling more citizens to access mobile internet services.
• GIZ (German development agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Signed MOU to support development of cross-border payment systems and digital economy in the East African Community (EAC). Partnership aims to enhance digital inclusion, skills development, AI training for youth employment, climate financing, and exploring market entry points for Somali businesses in Europe.
• Liquid TelecomcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to connect Somalia to Liquid Telecom's 17,000 km network of terrestrial cables crossing 11 African countries, bringing fiber optic internet to Somalia.
• Ministry of Telecommunications (Somalia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership to expand 4G network capacity and scale 5G nationwide. Government partnership to achieve total 4G coverage in line with National ICT Policy.
• Salaam Somali BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization under Hormuud group. Jointly launched Entrepreneurs Fund, a three-year program to cultivate young entrepreneurs with startup capital.
• Buruuj Technical Training InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational training partner in the Baxnaano Inclusive Economic Empowerment Program, jointly implemented with Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and funded by World Bank.
• BECO (Electricity Company)minorOthersAffiliated organization. BECO has invested $170 million in electricity network development and $220 million in green energy.
• International Humanitarian OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUse EVC Plus Humanitarian Portal to distribute cash aid to beneficiaries. Organizations include grassroot organizations and international aid donors.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Safaricom (M-Pesa): Kenya's leading mobile operator and creator of M-Pesa, the most successful African mobile money platform. Directly comparable to Hormuud on integrated telecom + mobile money model in an East African market with high unbanked population.
• Somtel Somalia: Somali telecom with mobile money capabilities (E-Dahab). Competes head-to-head with Hormuud in southern and central Somalia on similar prepaid and mobile wallet offerings.
• Golis Telecom Somalia: Direct domestic competitor in Somalia offering mobile voice, data, and mobile money (Golis Pay). Closest direct peer by market, regulatory environment, and product mix.
• Telesom (Somalia): Major Somali operator focused on Somaliland with mobile money (ZAAD service). Direct competitor sharing regulatory, currency, and infrastructure constraints with Hormuud.

Emerging players

• MFS Africa / Onafriq: African mobile money interoperability hub connecting wallets across operators and borders. Relevant as the type of pan-African payments infrastructure Hormuud's GIZ/EAC partnership could eventually plug into or compete against.
• WorldRemit: Cross-border digital remittance platform with strong penetration into Somali diaspora corridors. Emerging competitive pressure on EVC Plus's remittance and cross-border payment flows.

Broad incumbents

• Orange Money (Orange Middle East & Africa): Operator-owned mobile money service active across multiple African countries. Comparable integrated telco-wallet business model serving unbanked populations.
• MTN Group: Pan-African telecom with MoMo mobile money across 16+ markets. Comparable as a multi-country operator combining voice/data with a large fintech wallet, though at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Hormuud.
• Airtel Africa (Airtel Money): Operates mobile networks and Airtel Money across East and Central Africa. Comparable business model pairing voice/data with mobile money at scale, particularly in similar low-banking-penetration markets.
• Vodacom Group: Parent/investor in M-Pesa and major African operator. Relevant as the operator behind the gold-standard African mobile money model that Hormuud's EVC Plus is benchmarked against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hormuud
• Facebookfacebook.com/Hormuud
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hormuudtelecom

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hormuud Telecom