Addis Ababa, August 10, 2023 (FBC) – The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) announced a plan to award the third telecom license in the first six months of the upcoming new Ethiopian year (September to February).
Opening up of the telecom sector which was previously controlled by the government to foreign operators is one of the major activities included in the Ethiopian Homegrown Economic Reform, the Authority said.
It is to be recalled that a consortium led by Safaricom of Kenya took the first license in 2021 after Ethiopia issued invitation to tender to grant licenses to two new telecom companies.
The MTN Group, which participated in the bidding process, was not awarded the second license due to the disparity between the amount of money it made available at the time and that of offered by Safaricom.
Director General of ECA, Balcha Reba, stated that all the necessary arrangements have been made with the relevant parties to decide how the third telecom operator should operate in the country.
The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) has been issued to grant a license to the third telecom operator in Ethiopia, Balcha added.
Balcha indicated that the closing date has been set for companies interested in engaging in the telecom sector in Ethiopia to fill out RFQ and submit it by September 16, 2023.