Ethiopia launches tender for new telecoms licence

Ethiopia has launched a tender for a second new telecommunications license, its communications authority said on Friday, opening up one of Africa’s largest markets to further competition.

Ethiopia’s telecoms industry is considered a big prize in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s push to liberalise the economy after he took over in 2018, thanks to a large population of about 120 million.

Kenya’s Safaricom launched its mobile network in Ethiopia in October last year, becoming the first private operator alongside state-owned Ethio Telecom which had hitherto enjoyed a monopoly.

“There are several positive developments occurring in the Ethiopian telecommunications sector since the beginning of the liberalization process,” the Ethiopian Communications Authority said in a request for qualifications (RFQ) notice. Nasdaq