This archive report was first published on 30 August 2019.
On August 30, 2019, Ethiopia's state-run Ethio Telecom announced plans to install a 4G network in the capital and other regions, as the government prepares to open up the sector to private foreign investment.
As part of its liberalisation drive, the government had announced in July that it would award two telecoms licenses to multinational mobile companies, marking a significant shift towards opening up one of the world's last major closed telecom markets.
According to Ethio Telecom's three-year strategic plan, the company aims to 'reshape the company and lead with business orientation and a competitive mindset.'
The plan includes rolling out 4G network capacity in Addis Ababa and other regions, improving network coverage and capacity, and increasing total subscribers by 16% to 50.46 million in the year to July 2020.
Despite the country's rapid economic growth, a significant portion of the population remains unconnected, with around a third of Ethiopians having a phone and about 70% having no electricity, according to a 2018 World Bank study.
However, the telecoms industry is considered a key sector in the government's push to liberalise the economy, launched last year by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
