Sauti East Africa has launched Sahan Mobile, a new service that enables organisations to deploy USSD and SMS services across Somalia through one integration and one point of contact.

Launching mobile services in Somalia can require organisations to establish separate technical, commercial, and administrative relationships with multiple telecommunications providers. Sahan Mobile simplifies this process by providing coordinated access to Hormuud, Telesom, and Somtel, allowing organisations to reach users across different regions through a single trusted partner.

Through Sahan Mobile, Sauti supports the practical steps required to establish a service, including account creation, network connection, technical coordination, and management of network approvals. Organisations that require additional support can also engage Sauti to design custom USSD menus, develop mobile applications, and integrate services with existing databases and backend systems.

The service is designed for organisations seeking to provide accessible digital services in humanitarian response, financial services, government, health, education, agriculture, market information, research, and other sectors. Potential applications include:

• information and referral services
• registrations and beneficiary verification
• surveys and remote data collection
• alerts, confirmations, and public-service messages
• financial and customer self-service applications

USSD and SMS remain particularly valuable in environments where smartphone ownership, mobile data costs, internet connectivity, or digital literacy may limit access to conventional web and application-based services. USSD works on basic feature phones without requiring mobile data or an application download. SMS complements this by allowing users to retain important information, including alerts, service instructions, and transaction confirmations.

This approach reflects Sauti’s wider experience developing and operating mobile information platforms in low-technology and hard-to-reach environments across East Africa. Since 2016, Sauti has deployed USSD, SMS, WhatsApp, and online information services across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Somalia, working with development organisations, public institutions, and private-sector partners to make essential information more accessible.

For international organisations, Sahan Mobile also provides an experienced regional partner capable of navigating the operational and technical requirements of working in Somalia. Rather than separately managing several network relationships, organisations can work through Sauti for network access, implementation support, and continued technical coordination.

The launch of Sahan Mobile represents an important expansion of Sauti’s commercial mobile-services offering and our commitment to building practical digital infrastructure for organisations serving communities across Somalia.

One integration. Three networks. All of Somalia.