· The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has invited both international and national telecommunications firms to participate in the sealed bidding process for its second new full‐service telecommunications.
· The Request for Proposals (RFP) license will include Mobile Financial Services and additional spectrum allocation.
The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has invited both international and national telecommunications companies to take part in the sealed bidding process for its second new full‐service telecommunications. The Request for Proposals (RFP) license will include Mobile Financial Services and additional spectrum allocation. The RFP also includes revised pre‐qualification criteria to facilitate participation of both international and national telecommunications operators. Bidders have to submit their bids latest by December 20, 2021.
The bid marks the next phase of the widely publicized liberalization of Ethiopia’s telecoms market. The License B (second license) to be issued in January 2022 is expected to boost the digital transformation in the country. It will introduce a third telecoms operator apart from Ethio Telecom and the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC). The first license (License A) was announced in June 2021. After winning the bid, the Global Partnership for Ethiopia has set up its local headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Speaking about the bid, Balcha Reba, Director General of the ECA observed that, the goal of liberalizing the telecoms sector is to drive competition and push Ethiopia’s digital transformation by attracting private sector investment. He added that the mission is to encourage more telecoms operators, of all sizes, to be part of the process and create reliable and accessible communications for the Ethiopian people.
