The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) revealed that it would issue a second telecommunications license by the end of 2023. The entire licensing process could take two to three months allowing the third license to be issued in either November or December 2023.

On June 30, 2023, the ECA released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the second license. Bidders have until September 15, 2023 to submit their qualifications. After receiving submissions from bidders, the ECA will move to the second phase of the licensing process, which involves issuing a request for proposal.

The aim of this reform is to create a market with three players, and the ECA has already completed the necessary preparations to initiate the tender process for the second license.

As part of the Home-grown Economic Reform, the Ethiopian government has decided to introduce two additional operators alongside the existing state-owned Ethio telecom. Safaricom Ethiopia, which obtained a nationwide full-service Unified Telecommunications Service License in July 2021, became the first company to offer competitive mobile services in the country, challenging Ethio telecom's monopoly.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency