Fastest and Best Internet Provider in Somalia (2025)

Somalia’s internet market in 2025 is more competitive and more diverse than ever. Mobile networks upgraded to 4G and 5G, growing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) footprints in major cities, and satellite options now available make speed choices more practical for both homes and small businesses. In this guide you’ll find a clear, local-focused comparison of the fastest and best internet providers in Somalia in 2025, real price examples, what “best” really means locally, and a short buying checklist so you pick the right plan for your needs.

Who leads Somalia’s internet landscape in 2025?

Four names dominate the Somali retail market:

• Hormuud Telecom — national reach, early 5G rollout and aggressive unlimited plans.

• Somtel — wide coverage and a mix of mobile and fiber (home) products with simple unlimited and bundled options.

• Golis Telecom — a strong FTTH offering in some regions with fixed packages geared to homes and small businesses.

• Telesom (and regional operators) — prominent in Somaliland and other regions with competitive 4G/5G bundles and fast last-mile hardware options.

A new and important entrant in 2025 is Starlink (satellite broadband) — now officially available in Somalia and positioned as a coverage complement for rural or hard-to-wire areas. Satellite options change the calculus for remote sites that previously had no viable high-speed choice.

Which provider is fastest?

“Fastest” can mean peak theoretical speed, sustained real-world throughput, or best upload symmetry. For practical purposes in Somalia 2025:

• Hormuud has publicly marketed 5G services across major cities and competitive unlimited plans that make it one of the fastest mobile-backed consumer options for urban users. Where 5G is available, users can expect multi-tens to low-hundreds of Mbps real-world downloads depending on congestion and signal.

• Somtel offers fiber home packages and aggressive mobile unlimited bundles; FTTH where available gives stable higher sustained speeds for home offices and streaming. Somtel’s home fiber pages list tiered FTTH options and uncapped short-term packages that suit different budgets.

• Golis promotes FTTH plans (for example, unlimited packages at entry fixed speeds) that are among the fastest fixed options in their operating areas. FTTH is usually the best for low latency and symmetric-ish performance for uploads.

• Telesom continues to be strong in regions where its 4G/5G footprint is deep; it is often the best practical choice for residents of Somaliland and surrounding towns.

Bottom line: For maximum consistent speed and low latency in covered urban addresses, FTTH (Somtel, Golis where deployed) is the best fixed choice. For citywide mobile coverage with very fast peak speeds, Hormuud’s 5G is often the fastest mobile option. For remote locations, Starlink becomes the fastest realistic option despite higher cost.

Real price examples (2025, retail/consumer tiers)

Prices vary by city, installation, and promotional periods. Below are real-world examples drawn from provider retail pages and public offers in 2025 — useful for budgeting and side-by-side comparison.

Hormuud (mobile 5G / unlimited plans)

• Unlimited 5G monthly (consumer promotional bundle): about $20 / month for an unlimited mobile plan promoted by Hormuud as a mass-market unlimited plan in some bundles. This makes Hormuud one of the most affordable unlimited 5G options for urban mobile users. Note: home gateway or MiFi hardware may be extra.

Somtel (fiber & mobile bundles)

• Small FTTH tiers / fiber starter packages: Somtel’s fiber pages show starter fixed packages in the range of $40–$70 / month for low-Mbps tiers and small-business packages (example listings include 7–12 Mbps retail tiers and tiered SME packages). Somtel also publishes very low-cost short-term unlimited bundles (day/week) for mobile users — e.g., daily uncapped plans below $1 and weekly unlimited options.

Golis FTTH

• FTTH entry bundle: examples on Golis’ site show unlimited FTTH entry plans around $25/month for fixed 10 Mbps service (package names such as “FTTH+” and starter unlimited bundles appear on retail pages). Higher speeds with better hardware raise the price.

Telesom (4G/5G bundles in Somaliland regions)

• Micro/Day unlimited bundles: Telesom advertises extremely low-cost short windows (e.g., unlimited data for 24 hours around $0.50). Longer-term unlimited packages and FTTH hardware are priced higher; routers may be sold for $30–$50. For home/high-availability needs, look at Telesom’s fixed-speed hardware bundles (example router prices are listed publicly).

Starlink (satellite)

• Residential satellite: Starlink retail for Somalia reflects its typical global pricing model: a one-time hardware cost for dish & router plus a monthly subscription that is higher than mobile or basic fiber. Exact local retail may vary with taxes/imports and distributor markups; expect a few hundred dollars up-front for hardware and monthly fees in the higher tens to low hundreds USD depending on commercial tiers and availability. (Starlink’s official rollout into Somalia was reported in 2025 and positions it as a rural/high-availability option.)

Which plan should you pick — recommendations by use case

• Basic social & streaming household: If your area has Golis or Somtel FTTH availability at the $25–$70 monthly range, FTTH gives stable throughput and consistent streaming across multiple devices. If not, Hormuud’s cheap unlimited mobile plans are a pragmatic and affordable alternative.

• Remote work / creators / small business: Prioritize FTTH (Somtel, Golis) or a dedicated business fiber plan for symmetric upload speeds and reliability. If FTTH isn’t available at your address, consider Hormuud’s 5G with a fixed wireless gateway — or Starlink where fiber/mobile cannot guarantee low latency.

• Rural sites or mission-critical connectivity: Starlink or similar licensed satellite services are the fastest viable option where terrestrial backhaul is limited — accept higher cost for coverage and predictable connectivity.

Practical buying checklist (Somalia, 2025)

1. Confirm availability by address. FTTH maps and mobile 5G coverage differ block-by-block.

2. Ask about real upload speed and latency. For creators/gamers, symmetry and latency matter more than headline download numbers.

3. Check equipment costs. Routers, FTTH ONT installation and MiFi devices may be billed separately. Provider pages often list router prices.

4. Compare short-term unlimited bundles if you need temporary high-capacity access (Somtel and Telesom list daily/weekly uncapped offers).

5. Factor in local stability & outages. Political and weather events can affect backhaul; consider a secondary link (mobile + fixed, or Starlink backup) for mission-critical needs. 

Local realities and future outlook

Somalia’s telcos have invested heavily in mobile upgrades — Hormuud’s 5G launch and Somtel’s expanding fiber footprint illustrate that consumer access is improving rapidly. However, pricing sensitivity, infrastructure costs and occasional political disruptions remain realities. The arrival of Starlink in 2025 widens options for remote coverage and emergency connectivity, though at a higher price point. Expect incremental fiber rollouts over the next 1–3 years in urban centers, with more affordable fixed broadband as competition grows.

Fastest & best for most Somali users (2025)

• Fastest realistic urban mobile: Hormuud (5G) — excellent peak mobile speeds and very aggressive unlimited pricing for urban users where 5G is available.

• Best for stable home/work broadband: Somtel or Golis FTTH where deployed — fixed fiber gives the most reliable sustained speeds and lower latency for uploads and remote work.

• Best for remote coverage: Starlink or similar satellite — highest chance of getting broadband where ground networks don’t reach, at a premium price.