Ethiopia will launch a bid for a second international telecommunications license in June, industry regulators said Monday, as the Horn of Africa nation looks to expand in the sector.
In November, the government announced it had resumed plans to grant full telecommunications licenses to carriers. It will be the third company, along with state-owned Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia, which are jointly owned by Kenyan operator Safaricom.
"We have planned to launch the tender in June. More details will be released when we approach the launch date," Balcha Reba, director general of the Ethiopian Communication Authority, told Reuters via text message.
The telecommunications industry is considered a key target in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's push to open up the economy, but efforts to attract investment have so far been hampered by the conflict in the Tigray region, which has seen tens of thousands killed and millions of people displaced from their homes. Hampered by nearly two years of war in the north. Peace was reached, and the deal was signed in November.
In November, the government resumed efforts to sell up to a 45% stake in Ethio Telecom.
