Ethiopia will launch a tender for a second international telecoms licence in June, the industry regulator said on Monday, as the Horn of Africa nation seeks to expand the sector.
In November, the government said it had resumed the plan to issue a full telecoms licence for the operator, which will be the third alongside state-owned Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia, partly owned by Kenyan operator Safaricom.
“We have planned to launch the tender in June. More details will be released when we approach the launch date,” Balcha Reba, director-general of the Ethiopian Communications Authority, told Reuters.
The telecoms industry is seen as the big prize in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's push to open the economy, but efforts to attract investment were slowed by a nearly two-year war in northern Tigray that killed tens of thousands and uprooted millions before a peace deal was signed in November.
In November, the government restarted efforts to sell off up to 45% of Ethio Telecom.
Reuters
Ethiopia to launch tender for second telecom licence in June
Image: Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images/ File photo
Ethiopia will launch a tender for a second international telecoms licence in June, the industry regulator said on Monday, as the Horn of Africa nation seeks to expand the sector.
In November, the government said it had resumed the plan to issue a full telecoms licence for the operator, which will be the third alongside state-owned Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia, partly owned by Kenyan operator Safaricom.
“We have planned to launch the tender in June. More details will be released when we approach the launch date,” Balcha Reba, director-general of the Ethiopian Communications Authority, told Reuters.
The telecoms industry is seen as the big prize in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's push to open the economy, but efforts to attract investment were slowed by a nearly two-year war in northern Tigray that killed tens of thousands and uprooted millions before a peace deal was signed in November.
In November, the government restarted efforts to sell off up to 45% of Ethio Telecom.
Reuters
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