September 27, 2007
Ethiopia Restores SMS
Banned since the contested elections in 2005, SMS has at last been turned back on in Ethiopia in time for Ethiopia's new millennium. [via 160characters.org]
"The Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation, the sole telecommunication service provider in Ethiopia, has re-started SMS on 14th September.
During the elections in May 2005, Kinijit used text messaging to communicate with its supporters. The election result was contested and in response to Kinijit's effective use of SMS in mobilising its supporters, the government closed down parts of the press, blocked acess to web sites and shut down SMS on 10th June 2005.
To announce the restoration of the service, an SMS was sent to all mobile phone users in the country saying: "[Wishing] you [a] happy Ethiopian Millennium. And now the SMS service is launched."
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