FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS 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]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

Put your comments here

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

Editors' Pick

Editorial

Policy Unpredictability Pernicious, When Frequented Dreadful

Dec 24 , 2022

Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...

Agenda

Is the Coffee Bonanza Here to Stay?

Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE

On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...

Editorial

Financial Sector-sourced Glucose Drips No Remedy to Save Economy

Nov 27 , 2021

Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...

Editorial

Contingency Economic Plan Necessary to Reconcile with Political Storm

Nov 13 , 2021

Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...

Commentaries

A World of Debt

Recent headlines seem to augur a global debt crisis. The United States is teetering on the precipice of a self-inflicted default. Egypt,...

Growing Out of the Developing-Country Debt Crisis

The sovereign-debt crisis was high on the agenda at this year's Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the...

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

Banks Ride the Waves of Change Grappling with Growth, Risk

May 27 , 2023

Tauted as a somnolent giant, Ethiopia's financial scene now stirs, roused by favourab...

An African Paradox: Mediating Foreign Wars While Ignoring Homegrown Turmoils

May 20 , 2023

The pungent irony wafting from Pretoria last week was hard to miss. Cyril Ramaphosa,...

Ethiopia's Geopolitical Dance in a Tumultuous World

May 13 , 2023

In March this year, Kamala Harris, the United States Vice President, visited Ghana, T...

Ethiopia's Labour Movement Confronts a New Era. Will It Thrive?

May 6 , 2023

The history of the Ethiopian labour movement dates back to the 1940s, marked by perio...

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 Road to Success is Always Under Construction

A while back, I was asked to cover as a substitute teacher for a friend at her primar...

Optimism Despite Prevalence of Poverty

I met a new mother out on the rainy street of Addis Abeba with her infant. She was s...

Life Matters

Debt Traps Destabilises Small Businesses

I was standing next to a lady at one of our neighbourhood shops. She was arguing with...

Distress of Digital Payment Penetration

I came across an older man who was complaining about the newly founded experience at...