Domestic firms help put up 4G services in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA－Living in Ambo, around 100 kilometers west of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which was the only city in the country that had 4G telecom services until recently, Merera Gemechu and people in his community struggled to get modern telecom technology.

Gemechu owned an internet cafe in Ambo. Now, he is optimistic about the possibility of tapping into the internet thanks to newly launched fourth generation (4G) telecom services in the area.

People often flocked to Gemechu's cafe to access the internet, but the absence of 4G telecom services posed a challenge to the internet experience of his customers.

Ambo is one of the cities in Ethiopia which recently welcomed the introduction of 4G telecom services by Chinese high-tech giant ZTE, a major partner of Ethio-Telecom, the East African country's sole telecom service provider, along with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

"I hope the launch of 4G telecom services in Ambo is the start of the introduction of further modern telecom technologies in the city," Gemechu said, while voicing appreciation for improved telecom services.

"My business is very much dependent on having up-to-date telecom services, and with the launch of 4G telecom services, I'm optimistic my business will further grow and even diversify," he said.

Ethio-Telecom, which is one of Africa's oldest telecom service providers, has more than 56.2 million subscribers, with more than 25 million data and internet users.

The company aspires to increase its subscribers to 64 million by the end of the current Ethiopian fiscal year. It is striving to expand its data and internet users by 16.2 percent to 28.5 million.

As part of its ambition to provide modern telecom service to its users, the service provider partners with Chinese tech companies, mainly Huawei and ZTE, to realize its 4G LTE telecom service expansion.

At a ceremony held on Aug 26 in Ambo to mark the launch of 4G LTE telecom service in the area, Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio-Telecom, said the launch of Chinese-built 4G services is part of the company's three-year growth plan to expand modern telecom services to more than 100 Ethiopian cities.

"The 4G service you're using currently is 14 times faster than the 3G service you were using until now," Tamiru told Ambo residents as they welcomed the introduction of 4G LTE service.

During the second half of Ethiopia's last fiscal year that ended on July 7, Ethio-Telecom had connected 68 Ethiopian cities with 4G telecom services, in which the engagement of Chinese companies had been a major impetus.

Sun Yue, wireless chief technical officer of ZTE Middle East and Africa, said the company has been striving to provide up-to-date technology to Ethiopia for more than a decade.

"Ten years ago, there was 2G here, and we could only make a call. Five years ago we only had 3G, and we could only enjoy some data. Now, we have 4G LTE," Sun said.

He emphasized ZTE's commitment to provide Ethiopian customers with modern telecom services as early as possible.

Zhang Bowen, deputy director of public relations for Huawei Northern Africa region, also emphasized the importance of Huawei's partnership with Ethio-Telecom in expanding 4G telecom services across Ethiopia.

Industry experts spoke highly of the socioeconomic importance of introducing technologies such as 4G LTE telecom service to Ethiopians.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said Chinese companies are major players in Ethiopia's quest for improved telecom service across the country.

The professor emphasized the reliable data services that will be harnessed from high bandwidth and high-speed features of 4G LTE will enable Ethiopians to digitize their services, increase productivity and improve internet experiences.