Ethiopia receives two bids for two telecom operating licenses

Addis Ababa, April 26, 2021 (FBC) – Ethiopia has received bids from two giant telecom operators through consortium of Safaricom (Kenya), Vodafone Group (UK), Vodacom Group (South Africa), CDC Group (UK) and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), MTN Group.

South Africa’s MTN (MTNJ.J) has submitted one of the bids, while the other came from a consortium of Kenya’s Safaricom (SCOM.NR), Vodafone (VOD.L) and Vodacom (VODJ.J).

The United Kingdom’s CDC Group and Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation are also part of the consortium, the ministry of finance said in a tweet.

Commenting on the close of bid submissions, Engineer Balcha Reba, Director of the ECA said, “We are delighted to have had interest from established telecoms operators from around the world, commensurate with this unprecedented opportunity, including from Africa’s two telecommunications ‘giants’, MTN — the largest mobile operator on the continent, and the Vodafone/Vodacom consortium including Kenya’s largest telecoms provider, Safaricom.”

He added saying: “We acknowledge, with thanks, the diligence and commitment from all participants in meeting the strict requirements set out in the RFP and for their engagement throughout this process. The ECA will be looking for the best all-round partners from the bids submitted and we are confident that competitive bidding will ensure that Ethiopia gets the best deal.”

It is stated that it should not take more than a week for the winners of the licences to be announced.