The Yemeni Telecommunications Sector: Navigating Escalating Challenges towards Recovery

Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope) – Ahmed Bajoaim

The telecommunications sector in Yemen has suffered numerous damages due to the ongoing conflict in the country for nine consecutive years. It is one of the most important developmental and service sectors in the country, serving as the nerve center of daily life in society and contributing directly and significantly to economic and social development. The conflict in Yemen, which began at the beginning of 2015, has cast its dark shadow over many sectors, including the telecommunications sector, leading to the destruction of many facilities, disruption of services, deterioration of their quality, and difficulty in providing secure means of communication.

Despite the challenging circumstances and the impact of the conflict on the telecommunications sector, characterized by the destruction of many facilities, towers, electrical wires, and other infrastructure resulting in service disruptions and decreased quality, there is still a glimmer of hope in the telecommunications sector. It is witnessing gradual signs of recovery, promising a better future.

Despite these challenges, the efforts made by telecommunications companies and relevant authorities have begun to bear fruit by repairing many damages, improving service quality, and expanding coverage within the available resources.

Consequences of the Conflict

A report by Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed website highlighted that the telecommunications sector in Yemen has witnessed continuous deterioration since the outbreak of the conflict, leading to a significant decline in the level of information technology. The conflict has caused a decline in the real GDP of the sector from the beginning of 2015 to the beginning of 2021, with an average annual rate of approximately 8.6%. This indicates that the conflict conditions have led to a significant decrease in the sector’s revenues, greatly affecting the national economy. Additionally, the sector has lost opportunities to develop, strengthen, and expand its services.

According to a report released on November 2, 2022, titled “Deterioration of the Communications Sector in Yemen, and Fierce Struggle for Internet Control,” the oldest private mobile phone communications company (SabaFon) suffered greatly after the outbreak of the conflict, incurring significant financial losses. This resulted from the cessation of international calling services and communication services between its users and users of other local telecommunications companies. Additionally, the company “MTN” announced its complete withdrawal from the country in late 2021 due to the economic conditions that forced the company, operating in many countries, to withdraw. Meanwhile, an Omani investment company (YOU) announced its acquisition of SabaFon.

The report by Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed indicated that the communications sector in Yemen suffered immense losses due to the destruction caused by the conflict in the essential facilities and internet infrastructure. The damages focused on the assets used in the sector, and information technology was also severely affected. Preliminary estimates of the damages mentioned in the report indicate that around 248 communication towers and approximately 1652 communication stations have been affected by the conflict since the beginning of 2015. Furthermore, 46 facilities and central offices, along with other unquantified losses, have been reported.

In the same context, Yemeni news agency, Saba (Sanaa), revealed the financial losses suffered by the communications sector during the years of conflict, amounting to approximately 11 billion US dollars. In a report in March 2023 by the Ministry of Communications in Sanaa, the agency confirmed that the armed conflict led to the destruction of 1106 facilities and civil infrastructure, including 706 completely destroyed facilities and 400 partially damaged ones. The conflict also led to the suspension of services in over 862 facilities and infrastructure, resulting in the isolation of more than 114 villages and towns from the world.

The report titled “Ministry of Communications Reveals Losses of the Communications Sector and Companies in Eight Years” highlighted the damages suffered by Yemen Mobile due to the armed conflict, amounting to 141 affected sites in 19 governorates. The total financial losses for the company during the first eight years of the conflict exceeded 1.6 billion US dollars. All these conflict-induced damages to the communications sector have resulted in negative impacts on the quality and speed of service.

In a related context, the field engineer in telecommunications, Omar Samikan, explained that there are severe losses in the field of communications as a result of the conflict between conflicting parties in several Yemeni governorates. This has led to the destruction of many telecommunications network sites and internet lines, in addition to the lack of equipment to improve communication networks due to political disputes. Many subscribers have been cut off from internet service due to the unavailability of alternative SIM cards, which constitutes direct harm to citizens before the telecommunications sector itself, with no signs of a comprehensive solution to these challenges.

Samikan added that the conflict that erupted at the beginning of 2015 has significantly contributed to the deterioration of the telecommunications sector and internet service specifically. Yemen suffers from poor internet service quality due to its subscription to an external internet service provider, which is considered the worst in the world. Some of the damages incurred by the telecommunications sector as a result of the conflict have not been repaired to date. With the increasing population in Yemeni regions and the growing number of communication users, internet services have caused a compounded weakness in the sector and exacerbated suffering for users.

Engineer Abdullah Al-Amoodi provides an insider’s perspective on the impact of the conflict on the telecommunications sector in Yemen. He explained that the conflict has caused significant damage to the telecommunications infrastructure, mobile phone networks, and internet, leading to the complete or partial destruction of many communication towers, broadcast stations, and fiber optic cables. This has resulted in a decline in communication services similar to those before the conflict, despite some improvement after the introduction of 4G in some Yemeni cities and regions.

Al-Amoodi pointed out that telecommunications companies have faced significant challenges since the outbreak of various conflicts in different Yemeni governorates, negatively affecting their revenues. Additionally, the Public Telecommunications Corporation has been unable to provide sufficient and reliable communication and internet services to the community, leading to a decline in service quality and internet speed, which in turn has hurt all sectors, businesses, and services. Today, the telecommunications sector has become an essential part of life, without which most activities and transactions cannot be accomplished.

Challenges of Conflict over Telecommunications

Some economic reports focusing on the importance of the telecommunications sector in Yemen indicate that the most prominent challenges facing the sector at present include the failure to connect the submarine cables in the governorates of Aden and Al-Hodeidah, hindering competition among telecommunications companies and delaying their development. This is in addition to the ongoing conflict, which has damaged the telecommunications infrastructure and led to a shortage of financial resources.

Engineer Sameekan added that the challenges facing the telecommunications sector in Yemen are significant, including the failure to connect the submarine cables in the governorates of Aden and Al-Hodeidah, resulting in reduced internet speed and quality throughout Yemen. The conflict has also prevented the entry of modern and advanced materials and equipment related to the telecommunications sector, causing delays in the maintenance and upgrading of some sites, affecting service quality. Furthermore, the ongoing conflict has hindered both government-owned and private telecommunications companies from competing to offer the best services and attract users, as the conflict has impeded the companies’ ability to develop their services as desired.

Engineer Al-Amoodi highlighted some of the difficulties caused by the conflict, with the most significant being direct or indirect damage to the telecommunications networks and their infrastructure, leading to reduced coverage and negative effects on service quality in many Yemeni governorates, if not all of them. Additionally, the financial resources have been depleted due to declining revenues, posing a major challenge resulting from the ongoing conflicts in the country. This has made it difficult to provide the necessary financial liquidity to improve the infrastructure and deliver high-quality or better services than those currently available.

Al-Amoodi also mentioned that among the challenges and difficulties are the lack of availability of training and qualification courses for telecommunications sector employees, especially newcomers to the field, to enhance their qualifications within modern and advanced standards to improve work quality and efficiency. There is also a clear decline in service provision to subscribers, a failure to keep up with modern developments and updates, and a lack of appropriate qualifications for the workforce in light of the rapid technological advancements in today’s world. These damages are temporary and can be overcome, and they should be the focus at present due to the sector’s importance.

Recommendations

The cessation of conflict and the attainment of a political solution are essential steps to rebuild the telecommunications infrastructure, improve services, and work on providing necessary funding by the Yemeni government and international organizations. This is to enhance the infrastructure, develop services, expedite the provision of communication materials and equipment, facilitate their entry into the country, focus on training and qualifying sector employees to improve work efficiency, enhance service quality, and keep pace with modern developments that meet the citizens’ needs.

Engineer Omar Sameekan pointed out that among the recommendations currently requiring action to improve the telecommunications sector’s performance and overcome some of the challenges and damages caused by the conflict is to spare the sector from political conflicts, exclude it from the political scene, and make it independent. This will enable it to play a service-oriented role, allow the entry of all necessary equipment needed by the telecommunications institution, and facilitate their import without hindrance.

He also emphasized that connecting the submarine cables in Aden and Al-Hodeidah will improve internet service, and enhance its quality, and if these proposals and recommendations are implemented, it is very natural to witness a qualitative leap in all aspects of the sector.

Engineer Abdullah Al-Amoodi also discussed some proposals to mitigate the damages caused by the conflicts between parties in Yemen, including providing necessary funding from donor entities and international organizations to repair the damages, improving the quality of the infrastructure, which has been partially or completely affected by the conflict, as the telecommunications sector is vital to the Yemeni community and is part of improving the quality of life for Yemenis. Also, ensuring the continuity of maintaining sector facilities such as towers, central offices, broadcast stations, and renewing fiber optic cables.

He added that it requires supporting telecommunications companies to enhance their ability to provide high-quality services, improve the infrastructure, and create a competitive environment away from the political and exceptional situation the country is going through. Additionally, providing training and qualification opportunities in advanced and modern technologies that contribute to enhancing the capabilities of government or private telecommunications sector employees, and improving their skills and efficiency in providing services to subscribers efficiently and effectively.

Al-Amoodi also continued to state that among the solutions and proposals to overcome the obstacles caused by the conflicts in Yemen is to work on providing alternative networks, such as satellite communications, to compensate for the impacts on the main infrastructure. It is difficult to achieve this at present without everyone working together and encouraging local and foreign investment in the telecommunications sector to provide advanced and reliable services to users.

In conclusion, given the difficult circumstances Yemen is facing on all levels, including the telecommunications sector, which is considered the nerve center and driving force of life, responsible entities are required to take a package of measures to enhance the capabilities of telecommunications and improve its quality to overcome the challenges that armed conflicts have cast over the sector for nearly nine years. Telecommunications are an important cornerstone in building the future of Yemen and a safe bridge toward progress and prosperity.