26 November 2025
Ethio Telecom and ZTE have announced the successful deployment of 152 new rural base stations across Ethiopia’s most remote regions.
These stations now deliver 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile coverage to over one million residents living in underserved areas. Ethio Telecom has been implementing ZTE’s comprehensive Rural Ecosystem solution, which includes EcoSite low-power, multi-band outdoor base stations equipped with microwave backhaul, alongside EcoEnergy solar-powered energy solutions featuring smart lithium batteries. Additionally, the EcoDevice module provides affordable smartphones, customer premises equipment, and MiFi devices, ensuring that even distant users can access the network.
ZTE highlighted that it adopted a modular tower construction approach similar to building with Lego blocks, significantly reducing construction costs by 80% and cutting deployment times by 75% compared to traditional methods. Ethio Telecom further streamlined the project by deploying ZTE’s intelligent network management tools, including the iEPMS 4.0 system and Netmax, to facilitate network construction, operation, and optimisation.
By September 2025, the joint effort had expanded connectivity to over 100 low-density regions, enabling residents to access digital services such as education, remote healthcare, and Ethio Telecom’s Telebirr mobile payments platform. The project also contributed to local capacity building by training hundreds of Ethiopian technicians, fostering a sustainable ICT talent development ecosystem.
As of October 2025, Ethio Telecom boasted a customer base of 86.1 million, with more than 47 million using its mobile broadband services. The company’s network now covers 99.4% of Ethiopia’s population, with a teledensity of 76.5%, and its 4G coverage increased from 37.5% in 2024 to 70.8% in 2025. The Telebirr service has amassed over 57.5 million users, further cementing its role as a key digital platform in the country.
Earlier this year, Ethio Telecom reported a remarkable 80% increase in pre-tax profit for the fiscal year ending June 2025, driven by rapid subscriber growth and aggressive network expansion, with revenue rising by nearly 73%. However, a recent audit revealed that the company’s net profit for FY2025 declined by 70% compared to the previous year, primarily due to foreign exchange losses. Looking ahead, CEO Frehiwot Tamiru announced plans to nearly double the company’s annual revenue by the end of FY2026, leveraging expanding user numbers and increased data consumption.
