Ethiopian Communication Authority Reveals Bidders for Telecom Licenses

ADDIS ABABA – MTN Group Ltd and the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of Vodafone, Vodacom, Safaricom and Japanese Sumitomo  have submitted their bids for full telecom licenses, the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) announced on Monday.

The companies submitted their bids to the ECA which requested for Proposals (RFP) published on November 27th, 2020.

Eng Balcha Reba, Director of the ECA, said, “We are delighted to have had interest from established telecoms operators from around the world, commensurate with this unprecedented opportunity, including from Africa’s two telecommunications ‘giants’, MTN — the largest mobile operator on the continent, and the Vodafone/Vodacom consortium including Kenya’s largest telecoms provider, Safaricom”.

“We acknowledge, with thanks, the diligence and commitment from all participants in meeting the strict requirements set out in the RFP and for their engagement throughout this process,” he said.

The ECA’S director said the authority will be looking for the best all-round partners from the bids submitted. “We are confident that competitive bidding will ensure that Ethiopia gets the best deal,” he added.

A National Evaluation Committee that includes Ministry of Finance, the ECA, and other government offices as members will now evaluate their proposals, which are expected to be finalised by mid-May.