Radar | Mar 28,2020
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]
Radar | Mar 28,2020
Radar | Jun 22,2019
Fortune News | Dec 21,2019
Fortune News | Nov 13,2021
Radar | Jan 05,2020
Radar | Sep 10,2022
View From Arada | Dec 17,2022
Radar | Jan 22,2022
Fortune News | Oct 02,2021
Fortune News | Mar 26,2022
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
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...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Nov 25 , 2023
Ethiopia's quest to develop a functioning capital market is a demanding yet not unach...
Nov 18 , 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) has made a fervent call for landlocked Ethiopia to ga...
Nov 11 , 2023
In November last year, a ray of hope pierced the gloomy skies of Ethiopia as the Pret...
Nov 4 , 2023
In the corridors of economic policy-making, a quote often attributed to Albert Einste...
Loading your updates...