Ethiopia gets two bids including MTN to enter revamped telecoms sector
By AFP
Share
INTERNATIONAL - Ethiopia announced Monday it had received two bids for licenses that would end the government s monopoly over its stunted telecoms sector, one of the last closed markets in the world.
The shake-up of the potentially lucrative sector currently dominated by state-owned Ethio Telecom is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed s economic reform agenda.
The bids came from South Africa s MTN and a consortium including Kenya s Safaricom, Vodafone and Vodacom, according to a statement from the Ethiopian Communications Authority, the government regulator.
Ethiopia Bid for New Telecom Licenses Closed, Two Bids Received
The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has announced that the bid for two new nationwide telecommunications service licenses has closed today. The Ethiopian Ministry of Finance, in a tweet, has declared bids have been received from two giant telecom operators, MTN Group Limited, and a consortium including Safaricom (Kenya), Vodafone Group (UK), Vodacom Group (South Africa), CDC Group (UK), and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan).
“We are delighted to have had interest from established telecom operators from around the world, commensurate with this unprecedented opportunity,” Blacha Reba, Director of the ECA, commented. Mr. Balcha expressed thanks for “the diligence and commitment from all participants in meeting the strict requirements set out in the RFP and for their engagement throughout this process.”
April 26th, 2021 in Business. Closed
The Ministry of Finance sealed its doors when the 10:00 deadline for [telecoms licences] bids had expired, and said it would make a formal announcement after the technical and financial evaluation is completed. (Capacity Media)
Ethiopia received just two bids, from MTN working China’s Silk Road Fund and a US-backed and Vodafone-led consortium, for its two telecoms licences this morning.
The Ministry of Finance sealed its doors (pictured) when the 10:00 deadline for bids had expired, and said it would make a formal announcement after the technical and financial evaluation is completed.
MTN made it clear that it is backed by the Silk Road Fund, a Chinese state-owned investment fund designed to foster increased investment in countries along the country’s One Belt, One Road, economic development project.
Ethiopia s Liberalisation: Two initial bidders revealed totaltele.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from totaltele.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE STANDARD
BUSINESS NEWS
Safaricom is leveraging on a new consortium to make an entry into the vast Ethiopian telecommunications market in a move meant to grow its revenues and market share to a new high.
In a statement released on Monday, the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) said Safaricom was one of the members of a consortium that includes Vodacom Group Ltd (South Africa), Vodafone Group Plc (UK), CDC Group Plc (UK) and Sumitomo Corporation (Japan), that submitted bids for a nationwide telecommunication service licence.
“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 and the Vodafone-Vodacom consortium including Kenya’s largest telecoms provider Safaricom,” said Balcha Reba, ECA Director-General.