Ericsson Extends East African Network Strategy from Kenya to Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications provider Ethio Telecom has entered into a new agreement with Swedish telecom infrastructure supplier Ericsson aimed at upgrading and expanding sections of the country’s mobile network. The agreement was disclosed on March 5 during the Mobile World Congress currently taking place in Barcelona. Under the arrangement, Ericsson will support a program to
Ericsson Extends East African Network Strategy from Kenya to Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s state-owned telecommunications provider Ethio Telecom has entered into a new agreement with Swedish telecom infrastructure supplier Ericsson aimed at upgrading and expanding sections of the country’s mobile network. The agreement was disclosed on March 5 during the Mobile World Congress currently taking place in Barcelona.
Under the arrangement, Ericsson will support a program to expand network infrastructure and increase capacity across roughly 1,500 mobile sites within the portion of Ethio Telecom’s network it manages. The work will include modernizing existing equipment and introducing additional 4G layers to support higher data traffic.
Expanding 4G Capacity and Extending 5G Coverage
Ethio Telecom said the upgrade is designed to strengthen network performance while expanding broadband access across the country. Older infrastructure will be replaced with more recent systems capable of handling higher data volumes, while 4G capacity will be expanded and elements of the operator’s 5G network will be extended.
The rollout is also expected to prioritise connectivity outside major urban centres, where network coverage remains uneven.
The coverage could bring new users onto the network in Ethiopia, where access to 4G services remains limited. Data from the International Telecommunication Union indicates that only about 44% of the population had access to 4G networks in 2024.
Competition in Ethiopia’s Telecom Market
Increasing network capacity and service reliability could reinforce Ethio Telecom’s position in a market that has recently opened to competition. The operator now shares the sector with Safaricom, which launched operations in Ethiopia in October 2022 and had reached roughly 10 million active subscribers by July 2025.
Despite the new entrant, Ethio Telecom remains the country’s largest operator. By December 2025 the company reported 87.1 million subscribers, including about 49 million internet users and 58.6 million customers using its mobile money platform Telebirr.
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