Safaricom Ethiopia has crossed the 15 million mark in 90-day active subscribers, reaching the milestone as the telecom operator marks five years since it received a unified telecommunications operating licence from the Ethiopian government.
The company secured its licence on July 9, 2021, and began commercial operations in October 2022. Safaricom said it reached the 15 million-subscriber milestone in less than four years of commercial operations, describing the growth as one of the fastest expansion journeys achieved by a new telecom operator building its network and customer base from the ground up.
Since launching in Ethiopia, Safaricom has deployed more than 3,500 network sites, with coverage now extending to approximately 60% of the country’s population. The operator said all its sites are 4G-enabled and 5G-ready, making the rollout one of the fastest nationwide deployments by a greenfield telecom operator in Africa.
READ ALSO: EQUINIX, NVIDIA AND TOGETHER AI PARTNER TO DRIVE AI INFERENCE INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH
The company’s network has also expanded beyond Ethiopia’s major cities into smaller towns and communities, helping to broaden access to digital connectivity. Safaricom saidincreased competition has contributed to wider connectivity, faster digitisation, higher internet speeds and data consumption, as well as the expansion of digital payments across the country.
Safaricom also highlighted the wider effects of Ethiopia’s telecom-sector liberalisation, noting that increased competition has helped expand connectivity, improve internet speeds and data usage, accelerate digitalisation, and support the growth of digital payments.
Beyond telecommunications, the company said it has contributed to technology talent development and community initiatives across Ethiopia. Safaricom has invested ETB 139 million directly in community development and support, while shareholders and partners have contributed an additional ETB 545 million, bringing total community investment to ETB 684 million over the past four years.
Safaricom said its presence in Ethiopia has therefore delivered impact beyond subscriber growth, supporting expanded connectivity, digital financial services, community development and the country’s broader digital transformation.
