2merkato

Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, has confirmed that Safaricom has put in a bid for one of the two telecom licenses Ethiopia has made available. 

Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile phone operator, is following up its plan to enter the Ethiopian market, its outgoing chief executive disclosed. The telecom company, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), is "betting" on privatization plans Ethiopia has announced for the state monopolized sole telecom provider in Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom, and sale of additional two telecom licenses.

Safaricom Ethiopia is taking a big step towards local sourcing by incorporating telecom towers manufactured in Ethiopia into its network expansion plans. The company has partnered with Woda Metals, the nation's first producer of telecom towers.

Safaricom Ethiopia announced that it is building its first data center in Addis Ababa at a cost of $100 million. "In our first year, we have $300 million worth of investment that is going in, [out of] which the data center is just one of the many building blocks," Pedro Rabacal, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Safaricom Ethiopia, said.

Safaricom Ethiopia announced a hefty investment of USD 1.5 billion to build 5,000 new telecom towers across the country over the next three years. This ambitious plan aims to significantly improve network infrastructure and connectivity for millions of Ethiopians.