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Somalis are hungry for the internet and is vital medium to connecting with outside world.
 Mogadishu, (insidesomalia.org) – Number of internet cafes in Mogadishu are decreasing since last year after fighting broke out in Mogadishu between allied Ethiopian Army / Somali government force and insurgents.
The internet users in Mogadishu are now facing problems getting online because few internet cafes operating are out numbered by the demand of users.
Long lines of young people both men and women are seen waiting for their chances to use internet at the few remaining internet café houses in chaotic capital of Somalia.
“We are busy we work all the clock round and people are pouring into us” said Abdullahi Mohamed , a manager of Telenet internet café house, one of the most popular internet cafes in Mogadishu at the Bakara Market.
“I was sitting for more than an hour waiting a chance to see my inbox , it is frustrating here because lots of people are in the row” said Halimo Abdi, a student who now lives at Elasha, near Afgoi, where more than 200,000 who have fled the fighting in Mogadishu are sheltering.
At least 67 internet cafes are operating in Mogadishu before the fighting broke out but now a maximum of 25 internet cafes are operating after more half of the internet cafes were closed down for reasons relating the worsening security situation prevailing Mogadishu.
Many internet owners auctioned their computer with very low prices and fled to neighbouring countries like Kenya and Djibouti for safe heaven.
The internet rent goes up from 5,000 Somali Shilling per an hour to 8,000 Somali shillings and many users are increasingly frustrated by cost and waiting time to get online.
The internet sector and internet cafes in Somalia have two main advantages over many other African countries.
There is a huge Somali Diaspora around the world - between one and three million people, compared with an estimate eight million people in Somalia- who remain in contact with their friends and relatives back home.
E-mail is the cheapest way of staying in touch and many Somalis can read and write their own language.
People check e-mail accounts, send invoices and also make research.
Three major telecommunication companies; Telecom, Hormuud and Nationlink have co-operated and set up the Global internet company to provide internet infrastructure.
Mogadishu enjoys services at 150Mb/second through a long Reach Ethernet and even remote villages are possibly connected to the internet but Mogadishu’s access to the internet was crippled by the on going fighting and internet boom in the city is on hold until fighting ends.
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