Ethio Telecom CEO says to expect 150 cell sites over the next year
Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom launched a pre-commercial 5G network across six mobile stations in the capital city of Addis Ababa this week. The launch, said the company, is an important milestone in its three-year growth strategy and technology roadmap.
“We are pleased and honored to launch the world’s advanced fifth-generation network. We are committed to seeing a digital Ethiopia, which will uplift our people’s overall living conditions,” Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio Telecom, said during the launching event, adding that over the next year, the carrier will deploy 150 5G sites within and outside of Addis Ababa.
Launched after a temporary 5G Spectrum approval by the Ethiopian Communication Authority, the pre-commercial network is supported by equipment from Huawei Technologies and ZTE, despite the international trend of blacklisting Chinese telecom vendors.
Ethio Telecom has more than 60.8 million subscribers, with about 25 million data and Internet users, and claims coverage of roughly 97% of Ethiopia with 3G and 4G.
Last month, Ethio Telecom struck a deal with rival Safaricom Ethiopia to share cell sites, interconnection and tower assets. According to Safaricom’s Group Chairman, Michael Joseph, “the deal is very important and critical for our commercial viability and launch.”
