Safaricom Ethiopia PLC, the new entrant to Ethiopia’s telecom service officially launched today its services in the capital, Addis Ababa and six more town.
Safaricom has joined the market after paying $850 million license fee to the Government of Ethiopia and invested some additional $300 million so far. It is the second telecom operator in Ethiopia.
The company officials said that in the coming years Safaricom will continue investing some 300 million annually to expand its services across Ethiopia.
During the launching it is indicated that some 200,000 people have already got Safaricom line that begins with 07 digit. The company has created jobs for over 600 people of which some 200 are expats. Over the coming ten years the company directly and indirectly aims to create jobs for one million people.
The company is fully using fiber optics of the state-owned telecom company, Ethio Telecom and around one percent of the towers. In addition, the company is also using its own towers and infrastructures, according to the company officials who briefed the media this morning.
In relation to mobile money for which Safaricom is well known for introducing to the world by launching M-pesa in Kenya, the officials said that they are in discussion with the government to secure the license in Ethiopia.