KEYIR NEWS:- Safaricom Ethiopia has surpassed the 10 million subscriber mark, four years after securing a telecom operating license from the Ethiopian government. The company marked the milestone by outlining its future investment plans and network expansion goals in a statement released this week.
Chief Executive Officer Wim Vanhelleputte said the firm has deployed a mobile network capable of serving 50pc of Ethiopia’s population. With 3,141 network towers established in more than 150 urban centres, the company now counts 7.1 million mobile data users among its customer base. On average, Safaricom Ethiopia is onboarding 31,000 new customers each day, according to Vanhelleputte.
The company has invested over 300 billion Br since inception and is currently paying 3 million dollars monthly to lease tower infrastructure from incumbent operator Ethio Telecom. Safaricom officials noted that they remain in the early investment phase, with operating expenses exceeding revenues by 47 billion Br this fiscal year against reported income of 2.7 billion Br.
Despite the deficit, Vanhelleputte described the firm’s four-year trajectory as a “great success,” underscoring the role of competition in driving innovation and expanding telecom access. Safaricom Ethiopia employs 900 workers, 97pc of whom are Ethiopian nationals.
The company plans to double its investment in the next three years to expand its tower network to over 6,000 sites, with a goal of reaching 80pc of the population. Vanhelleputte also raised questions about the sustainability of current mobile data tariffs, suggesting the need for tariff adjustments in the sector.
Safaricom Ethiopia entered the market in 2021 as part of the country’s telecom liberalisation efforts. It is the first private telecom operator to challenge state-run Ethio Telecom’s long-standing monopoly, with backing from a global consortium that includes Vodafone Group and Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.
KEYIR NEWS:- Safaricom Ethiopia has surpassed the 10 million subscriber mark, four years after securing a telecom operating license from the Ethiopian government. The company marked the milestone by outlining its future investment plans and network expansion goals in a statement released this week.
Chief Executive Officer Wim Vanhelleputte said the firm has deployed a mobile network capable of serving 50pc of Ethiopia’s population. With 3,141 network towers established in more than 150 urban centres, the company now counts 7.1 million mobile data users among its customer base. On average, Safaricom Ethiopia is onboarding 31,000 new customers each day, according to Vanhelleputte.
The company has invested over 300 billion Br since inception and is currently paying 3 million dollars monthly to lease tower infrastructure from incumbent operator Ethio Telecom. Safaricom officials noted that they remain in the early investment phase, with operating expenses exceeding revenues by 47 billion Br this fiscal year against reported income of 2.7 billion Br.
Despite the deficit, Vanhelleputte described the firm’s four-year trajectory as a “great success,” underscoring the role of competition in driving innovation and expanding telecom access. Safaricom Ethiopia employs 900 workers, 97pc of whom are Ethiopian nationals.
The company plans to double its investment in the next three years to expand its tower network to over 6,000 sites, with a goal of reaching 80pc of the population. Vanhelleputte also raised questions about the sustainability of current mobile data tariffs, suggesting the need for tariff adjustments in the sector.
Safaricom Ethiopia entered the market in 2021 as part of the country’s telecom liberalisation efforts. It is the first private telecom operator to challenge state-run Ethio Telecom’s long-standing monopoly, with backing from a global consortium that includes Vodafone Group and Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation.