Written by: Badr Ahmed

Somalia continues its steps towards enhancing digital transformation and developing its technological infrastructure by accelerating the transition to the sixth-generation Internet Protocol (IPv6), in a move aimed at meeting the growing demand for internet services and preparing for the future expansion of the country’s digital economy.

In this context, the National Telecommunications Authority, in cooperation with the National Center for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), organized a specialized technical workshop that brought together Internet service providers, telecommunications experts, representatives of academic institutions, and actors in the digital sector, to discuss mechanisms for accelerating the implementation of the new protocol and developing the national capabilities necessary to support it.

Somalia is keeping pace with the digital revolution with a national plan to transition to IPv6.

These efforts come as a continuation of a path initiated by the Somali government in February 2025 when it adopted a national strategy for the IPv6 protocol, with the aim of establishing an organized framework for the transition from the current IPv4 Internet Protocol to the newer system that is more capable of accommodating the rapid growth in the use of the Internet and digital technologies.

The strategy also contributed to the establishment of the National IPv6 Protocol Centre, based at the Republic University of Science and Technology in Mogadishu, which serves as a center for research, training and capacity building in the areas of network management and modern internet technologies.

The IPv6 protocol is seen as a crucial step to keep pace with global developments in the telecommunications sector, as it provides a massive capacity for allocating internet addresses compared to the previous version, IPv4. The new system can support approximately 340 trillion trillion trillion unique addresses, making it more suitable for the massive expansion in the use of smart devices and Internet of Things technologies.

Engineer Mohamed Ahmed Mahmoud, President of the Republic University of Science and Technology, stressed the importance of preparing national cadres capable of leading this transformation, noting that universities play a pivotal role in developing knowledge, research and innovation in the field of modern internet technologies and preparing students for the digital labor market.

For his part, the Director General of the National Telecommunications Authority, Mustafa Yassin Sheikh, stressed the Authority’s commitment to ensuring that Somalia keeps pace with global technological developments, stressing that the transition to IPv6 is not only aimed at meeting current needs, but also represents a strategic investment in the future of coming generations and support for the continued growth of the Somali digital economy.

This trend reflects Somalia’s ambition to strengthen its position within the digital transformation path that the African continent is witnessing, and to benefit from modern technologies to support economic development and improve digital services for citizens.