FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo

Internet shutdowns, which occurred 13 times over the past four years, no longer just affect micro businesses such as internet cafes. An exploding internet penetration rate, at over a fifth of the population size now, is impacting thriving digital-based markets and industries, from taxi hailing cabs and delivery services to information technology firms. The consequences are affecting an ever growing portion of the population at a time when the economy is slowing, and chief among these were drivers working for taxi hailing companies.

"We tried to contact the call centre to see what options there were," said a driver that worked for the taxi hailing company RIDE, which uses GPS tracking to calculate fare prices and has now ceased operations following the internet blackout. "But we couldn't get through" to the company, continued the frustrated driver, whose income was halved in the past week.


The internet blackout occurred after the violence that followed reports of the death of Hachalu Hundessa, a musician and political activist, on June 30, 2020. It is an indefinite shutdown, and Ethio telecom makes few exceptions for businesses and government agencies.

For the tiny but developing IT industry that had been seeing encouraging results following the increasing importance of digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic and government initiatives to improve connectivity, the blackout was a rude awakening. The alternatives some have sought, such as resorting to SMS texts, are a poor substitute for the flexibility and dynamism the internet had provided, and it is "now extremely discouraging to venture into e-commerce.”



"We'll be incorporating [issues like internet shutdowns] in the plans that will follow the strategy,” was the response from the Ministry of Innovation & Technology.

Beyond the economic implications, digital rights advocacy groups insist that internet shutdowns are not long-term solutions, if not counter-productive. The content on the internet is a reflection of sentiments on the ground, argue these groups, and the answer to the political unrest should instead come through mediation.



You can read the full story    here    


PUBLISHED ON Jul 13,2020 [ VOL 21 , NO 1055]

[ratemypost]


Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Global Trade Is Winning Trump's War On It

Nearly six months after US President Donald Trump announced his ultra-high "reciproca...

Scaling Back Anti-Poverty Programmes a Colossal Policy Mistake

Faced with a slowing global economy and rising debts, many developing-country governm...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

In Climate Talks, Africa Mortgages Tomorrow Simply to Survive Today

Sep 13 , 2025

At its launch in Nairobi two years ago, the Africa Climate Summit was billed as the f...

Ethiopians Celebrate Big Dreams, While Everyday Realities Cast Shadow

Sep 6 , 2025

The dawn of a new year is more than a simple turning of the calendar. It is a moment...

Will Community Health Insurance Falter Under Its Ambitious Weight?

Aug 30 , 2025

For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...

The Capital Market May Be Too Shallow to Swim In. Beware.

Aug 23 , 2025

Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

The Horizon Ahead

Every Meskerem, as the Ethiopian New Year arrives, the script seems eerily familiar. We rewind the reel of the past twelve months, tot up th...

Beacon of Hope in the Heart of Singapore

When friends of my husband, Mike, and I left for what should have been a routine work trip to Malaysia, n...

Life Matters

Once a Song, Now a Powerhouse, The GERD Arrives

For generations, the dream of harnessing the Abay River has echoed across Ethiopia. It has been spoken of...

A Dose Too Fast

Stories of medical malpractice are unsettling, but they become harrowing when lived personally. What began for me as a trivial blister soon...