Ethio Telecom-Huawei Broadband Dev’t Summit held

Addis Ababa, January 12, 2024 (FBC) – Huawei Ethiopia, in collaboration with Ethio Telecom and the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, held a summit that focused on broadband development, Fiber to the Home, Huawei Ethiopia said in a press statement sent to FBC.

Mr. Fenta Dejen, the Minister of State for Urban and Infrastructure, acknowledges a global transformation driven by advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Ethiopia is actively pursuing digitalization in economic, social, political, and environmental domains through the 2025 Digital Ethiopia program, aligning with the evolving technological landscape.

He also stated that taking advantage of these digital opportunities requires a new mindset and leadership style from the government.

The State Minister highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to digitize services at all levels, emphasizing citizen satisfaction and effective governance. A smart city strategy is being implemented in selected cities. The Minister stressed the importance of fiber policies to drive home broadband development, contributing to the vision of achieving a digital Ethiopia by 2025, especially in urban areas.

For his part, Huawei Ethiopia CEO, Mr. Liu Jifan, highlighted Ethiopia’s entry into a new digital era, emphasizing the fundamental role of fiber to the room in digitalization. He underscored Huawei’s enthusiasm to support Ethiopia in its journey toward full digitalization.

Ethio telecom CTO, Mr. Tewodros Hailemeskel, stressed the importance of broadband infrastructure for Ethiopia to harness the benefits of the digital economy and technological revolution. He highlighted the significant role played by the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure in advancing broadband development, emphasizing its wide-ranging impact in a digital world where remote work, learning, and business activities are interconnected. Mr. Tewodros emphasized the necessity for Ethiopia to enhance its broadband infrastructure to meet the evolving demands of a highly connected society.

Mr. Tewodros mentioned that, under the Urban and Infrastructure Ministry, Ethiopia aims to incorporate basic telecom infrastructure into buildings. Ethio Telecom is dedicated to collaborating with the ministry to establish a code of conduct for telecom infrastructure promptly.

The summit highlighted Ethiopia’s home broadband insight, fiber pre-deployment drive, HBB development, and the importance and application of broadband and fiber in every home to boost availability and accessibility.