Ethiopia: Mobile phone subscribers, in millions: For that indicator, The International

Telecommunication Union provides data for Ethiopia from 1960 to 2015. The average value for
Ethiopia during that period was 3.38 million subscribers with a minumum of 0 million
subscribers in 1960 and a maximum of 42.31 million subscribers in 2015. See(Definition: Mobile
cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that
provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the
number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have
been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular
subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB
modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint,
radio paging and telemetry services.)
Ethiopia: International Internet bandwidth per Internet user, kb/s: For that indicator,
International Telecommunication Union provides data for Ethiopia from 2012 to 2016. The
average value for Ethiopia during that period was 5.76 kilobits per second with a minumum of
4.78 kilobits per second in 2014 and a maximum of 6.97 kilobits per second in 2013
Internet bandwidth - country data from around the world: The average for 2016 was 151.1
kilobits per second. The highest value was in Luxembourg: 6887.71 kilobits per second and the
lowest value was in Haiti: 0.11 kilobits per second. Below is a chart for all countries where data
are available for: Internet bandwidth.( Definition: International Internet bandwidth is the sum of
the capacity of all Internet exchanges offering international bandwidth measured in kilobits per
second (kb/s).)
Ethiopia: Mobile network coverage, percent of the population: For that indicator, International
Telecommunication Union provides data for Ethiopia from 2012 to 2016. The average value for
Ethiopia during that period was 51.2 percent with a minumum of 10 percent in 2012 and a
maximum of 90 percent in 2016. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country
comparator to compare trends over time.( Definition: Mobile network coverage measures the
percentage of inhabitants who are within range of a mobile cellular signal, irrespective of
whether or not they are subscribers. This is calculated by dividing the number of inhabitants
within range of a mobile cellular signal by the total population.)
Ethiopia: Fixed broadband internet subscribers per 100 people: For that indicator, The
International Telecommunication Union provides data for Ethiopia from 2003 to 2015. The
average value for Ethiopia during that period was 0.11 percent with a minumum of 0 percent in
2004 and a maximum of 0.66 percent in 2015. See the global rankings for that indicator or use
the country comparator to compare trends over time. (Definition: Fixed broadband
subscriptions refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP
connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This includes cable
modem, DSL, fiber-to-the-home/building, other fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions, satellite
broadband and terrestrial fixed wireless broadband. This total is measured irrespective of the
method of payment. It excludes subscriptions that have access to data communications
(including the Internet) via mobile-cellular networks. It should include fixed WiMAX and any
other fixed wireless technologies. It includes both residential subscriptions and subscriptions for
organizations.)
Ethiopia: Broadband internet subscribers : For that indicator, The International
Telecommunication Union provides data for Ethiopia from 2003 to 2015. The average value for
 Ethiopia during that period was 93291.62 subscribers with a minumum of 35 subscribers in 2004
and a maximum of 478000 subscribers in 2015. See the global rankings for that indicator or use
the country comparator to compare trends over time.
Ethiopia: Internet users, per 100 people: For that indicator, The World Bank provides data for
Ethiopia from 1990 to 2015. The average value for Ethiopia during that period was 1.41 percent
with a minumum of 0 percent in 1990 and a maximum of 11.6 percent in 2015. See the global
rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.( The
internet users in Ethiopia and other countries are presented as the percent of people who have
access to the internet either at home, at work, or in public spaces. Definition: Internet users are
individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 12 months. Internet can
be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.)

The state-owned Ethio Telecom (ET), formerly known as the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation,
maintains a monopoly on wired and wireless telecommunications and internet service, although private
investors are allowed to enter into joint ventures with the GOE in this space. While the GOE appears to
have no immediate plan to liberalize the telecom sector in terms of service provision, opportunities exist
in the area of value-added services. GOE has developed a list of approximately 200 eServices or
electronic services needed for development in the next several years. Under GTP II, the GOE plans to
expand the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) manufacturing industry, modernize the
infrastructure, and increase private sector participation. It is also plans to increase the number of
mobile, broadband and internet data users, enhance narrowband internet and fixed telephone services,
and expand international link capacity.

The GOE has started to put infrastructure in place for an "IT Park" to attract ICT service companies,
particularly those involved in outsourcing. This IT Park, located approximately 18 miles outside of Addis
Ababa in Bole Lemi, is now officially open. ET will move its operation to this area and private IT
companies are expected to set up shop there soon. The GOE also has plans to manufacture and export
IT equipment from this park.

Ethiopia's ICT landscape is rapidly evolving. The current contribution of the communications sector to
the GDP is a little over 2% versus the 4% average in the East Africa region. Ethiopian wireless
penetration stands at about 44% as compared to the sub-Saharan average of 53%. Fixed and mobile line
tele density, which shows mobile plus fixed telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, was 1.0% and
44%, respectively, in 2015. The following graph depicts expansion and growth of telecom services in
Ethiopia during 2013/14 and 2014/15. Most services, such as mobile, fixed, IP, VolP, and VSAT, are
government-owned and/or operated by ET. The only two sectors fully open for competition are
equipment provision and downstream services such as call and data centers, messaging, and
applications.
The GOE is placing great emphasis on deploying and using ICT as a tool to reach goals and targets
outlined in the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) and other key initiatives. For example, the
2014/15 GTP target for rural telecom services access was set at 100% (up from 62% in 2009/10).

ET continues to invest in expanding and upgrading the countrys telecommunication system. According
to NBE annual report, by the end of 2014/15, there were 38.8 million mobile phone users (a 37%
increase from the previous year), 837 thousand fixed lines (a 2.9% increase), and 7.4 million General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) subscribers (a 25% jump) in a country of over 95 million people.

ET has reached the final phase of infrastructure build-out under its Telephone Expansion Plan I (ETP I),
with China's ZTE and Huawei Corporation and the Swedish firm Ericsson all taking part. This expansion is
focused on providing telecom services to all of Ethiopia's 15,000 rural villages, with dedicated lines for
agriculture, education, health, and consumer use. As part of GTP II, ET will soon float a tender for ETP II,
a massive telephone infrastructure development program that seeks to increase telephone users from
40 million to 103 million. ETP II has an estimated value of $1.6 billion.

In an effort to boost its international connectivity, ET connected to the Seacom fiber optic cable in
2010. Seacom's fiber optic cable connects Ethiopia, via Djibouti, to the global network spanning down
the Eastern coast of Africa and reaching India and Europe. This has reduced Ethiopia's reliance on
expensive satellite connections.

In 2015, ET officially launched its Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) service in the city of
Addis Ababa for internet users. The 4G LTE service is expected to expand to other major cities in the
coming years. In 2016, ET reduced the rates for internet usage. The new mobile Internet service scheme
and tariff revision on offer is set to attract new subscribers, incentivize current users, and facilitate
modernization.

Sub-Sector Best Prospects

IT infrastructure development projects.

Mobile banking services and outsourcing services.

Sale of satellites.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and related financial standards.

Website software and technologies.

Data center development.

Software development for E-government services.

Call center development.

IT business park management.

Web-based/mobile market information sharing.

ICT training services.

Business linkages with universities.