Ethiopia plans to award two telecom licenses to multinational mobile companies by April 2020, breaking the state monopoly by April, Reuters reported citing the new communications regulator. Balcha Reba, director general of the Ethiopian Communications Authority said the industry regulator will hold a meeting on 12 November to answer questions of interested companies.
In June, Reuters reported that Ethiopia would issue the licenses by the end of the year, quoting Ethiopian officials and telecoms executives with direct knowledge of the process. The issuing of licenses will end a state monopoly and open up one of the world’s last major closed telecoms markets in the country of around 100 million. Vodafone, MTN, Orange and Etisalat are likely to be among the leading contenders vying for entry into the Ethiopian market.
