Ethiopia is set to issue an international tender in June 2023 to license the third telecom operator soon, according to the Ethiopian Communication Authority (ECA)
The introduction of Safaricom Ethiopia into the country’s telecom market has been widely reported to have created competition inspiring the need for a third telecom operator in Ethiopia
Director-General of the Ethiopian Communication Authority (ECA), Balcha Reba, told ENA that the organization is finalizing its plans to provide a license to the third telecom operator in Ethiopia.
Promotional activities have been done for investors to explore Ethiopia’s investment opportunities, and Balcha explained that the desire from investors to invest in Ethiopia is increasing following the introduction of various reforms.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Finance had issued an open tender for international firms to join Ethio Telecom and Safaricom as a third telecom operator in November 2022, and the bid will remain open until 19 December 2022.
The ministry also disclosed its plan to privatize Ethio Telecom with a 40% share.
Talks of a third operator being granted a license follows Kenya-based Safaricom’s entrance into the market back in October 2022. Within a month of entering the market, Safaricom Ethiopia scooped up 1 million customers, with the hopes of challenging the market leader Ethio Telecom, which has over 54 million subscribers according to Statista