Ethio telecom announces Copper Switch-Off initiative

Addis Ababa, September 24, 2024 (FBC) – Ethio telecom, the leading telecommunications company in the country, today rolled out its Copper Switch-Off Strategic Initiative, which aims to migrate 100,000 of its copper-based customers to high-speed fiber optic connections during the current Ethiopian fiscal year.

Out of these, 60,000 customers will be migrated in Addis Ababa, and 40,000 customers in regional areas, the company revealed.

As part of the ongoing efforts to modernize its network and enhance service delivery, Ethio telecom asserted that it is moving forward with the copper network switch-off.

The company stated that this initiative marks a significant shift towards more reliable, high-speed technologies such as fiber optics, LTE, and 5G which will enable the company to provide superior service to its customers.

It was stated that the first wave of migrations, involving 31,000 customers, will begin in the first week of October 2024.

This initiative is said to be part of a larger plan to fully migrate Addis Ababa’s copper network to fiber within three years and to extend this migration to all Regional capital cities over the next five years.

“As we embark on this major upgrade, we kindly ask our esteemed customers to cooperate with our employees during visits to homes and offices to transition their current copper connections to fiber,,” the company’s CEO Ms. Frehiwot Tamru stated while unveiling the initiative earlier today.

Frehiwot pointed out that the migration process will be done free of charge, with Ethio telecom covering all customer migration costs from copper to fiber.

“We strongly believe that this initiative will accelerate Ethiopia’s digital transformation, energize the economy, and foster national development, all while making our country more competitive in the global digital landscape,” she underscored.