Ethio-telecom set to raise coverage to 100 percent

Addis Ababa, August 17, 2016 (FBC) – Ethio-telecom is set to carry out expansion project which could raise telecommunications coverage in the country to 100 percent after four years.

A tender has been issued to begin the project, said Dr Debretsion Gebremichael, Deputy Prime Minister for Finance and Economic Cluster and Minister of Communication and Information Technology

The expansion project will be executed in two phases, with the first one set to commence this Ethiopian budget year, Dr Debretsion told FBC yesterday.

The two-phase project will be finalized in four years time and allows the company to add a capacity to accommodate 20 million new clients. Currently, Ethio-telecom has the capacity to accommodate 80 million clients.

According to Dr Debretsion, each phase creates a capacity to accommodate 10 million new clients. The first phase will be finalized within the coming two years. The second phase will be commenced after two years and completed in two year time.

In addition to raising the telecom coverage and improving the network quality, the expansion project will raise the number of mobile phone subscribers to 103 million from 45 million now, he said.

Moreover, it helps increase the country’s fixed line service coverage to 90 percent from 85 percent and internet users to 56 million from 13 million, he said.