Tag: Ethio Telecom

Ethio Telecom launches mobile money service TeleBirr

Frank

ETHIOPIA – Telecommunication company Ethio Telecom has announced the roll out of a mobile money service TeleBirr, which will be  available to its subscribers from May 2021. The telco has made the move to consolidate its market dominance before the entry of new operators into the country. The TeleBirr mobile money service will allow customers to send, receive and store money using their mobile phones and customers will be able to pay for goods, services and utility bills, as well as receive money from people in the diaspora, access loans…

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It’s all systems go as Ethiopia opens telecoms licence bid

Frank

ETHIOPIA – The bid for the long-awaited Ethiopian telecoms operator licence opens today and interested mobile operators have a month to submit their proposals. The publication of the bid documents paves the way for the issuance of two licences as Ethiopia, for the first time, opens its telecoms sector to the private sector. The Ethiopian Communications Authority last week held a conference with the bidders before floating the final bid and bidders were briefed on the ICT policy and the digital economy of the country, mobile and financial services, and investment laws.…

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Ethiopian Communicatons Authority shortlists six firms for telco licence

Frank

ETHIOPIA – The Ethiopian Communications Authority has shortlisted a consortia of 12 companies that had expressed interest in entering the country’s telecommunications market, one of them being Kenya’s telecom giant Safaricom. The firms will be required to submit their technical and financial bids by April 5, compared with a previous deadline of March 5. The Ethiopian Communications Authority announced that it had received expressions of interest from scores of firms, including telcos and non-telecom operators by June 22 which included the Safaricom consortium, Etisalat, Axian, MTN, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company,…

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United Kingdom’s CDC Group targets US$1b of African investments in 2021

Frank

AFRICA – CDC Group, a development finance institution owned by the UK government is planning about US$1 billion in Africa investments this year in sectors including infrastructure and finance and is part of a consortium considering a bid for a new telecommunications license in Ethiopia. The U.K. development-finance institution is matching a similar outlay made on the continent in 2020, Chief Executive Officer Nick O’Donohoe said in an interview with Bloomberg.  CDC will target markets such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, while also considering putting money into more remote, frontier…

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Ethio-Telecom to invest in the country’s financial sector

Frank

ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers has amended the Ethio – Telecom establishment regulation to boost the telecom giant’s operation besides its traditional telecommunication service. Capital newspaper has reported that the regulation amendment mainly targets to allow the state telecom operator to invest in the financial sector. Currently, the government is in the process to partly selling minority shares of Ethio Telecom to foreign and local investors, while retaining majority shares in the telco. Financial experts said that the Council of Ministers decision passed on January 8, would not contradict…

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Ethio Telecom adds mobile money to its range of products

Frank

ETHIOPIA – The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has finally granted a license to the Ethio Telecom to start mobile money service in the East African country.  Despite being the second most populous country in Africa with a population of more than 109 million, only about 33.86% of Ethiopian adults has formal accounts at financial institutions in Ethiopia, compared to the neighbouring countries like Kenya with over 82%. The country has also been largely left out of the booming mobile money market across the East African region. As of 2019,…

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Ethiopia Govt. to offload 5% stake in Ethio Telecom to domestic investors

Frank

 ETHIOPIA – The Government of Ethiopia has announced its plan to sell five percent of the share of the fully state owned and only telecom operator in the country, Ethio Telecom to domestic investors. This was indicated at a panel discussion held on the morning of 7th September 2020 to assess the progress made to partially privatize Ethio Telecom at the Prime Minister’s Office. About two years ago, the government expressed its plan to partially privatize Ethio telecom to foreign telecom operators while maintaining the majority shareholding. During the discussion…

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Ethiopia receives 12 bids from major telecoms for two telco licences

Frank

ETHIOPIA – 12 major telecom operators have shown interest in two licences that the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) plans to award to multinational mobile companies, breaking the state monopoly. On its statement ECA said it has received complete information and expression of interest from the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (a consortium of telecom operators made of Vodafone, Vodacom, and Safaricom), Etisalat, Axian, MTN, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company, Telkom SA, Liquid Telecom, Snail Mobile, and the two non-telecom operators, Kandu Global Telecommunications and Electromecha International Projects. The prospective bidders were given…

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