Safaricom Consortium
Tower Sharing Deal in the Works Between Safaricom & Ethio Telecom
Sourced from CGTN. Safaricom has reportedly begun negotiations on a new infrastructure sharing deal with Ethiopian rival and state-owned entity Ethio Telecom. This comes as the Kenyan telecom company and its consortium of investors prepare a much-anticipated launch in the Horn of Africa country over the next month. CEO of Safaricom in Ethiopia, Anwar Soussa, says that the company is currently working with Ethio Telecom and state regulator Ethiopia Communication Authority (ECA) to finalise all the details of the partnership. Safaricom is seeking to leverage the sparse, but already-existing tower infrastructure, as well as cell sites, masts and other active elements such as network roaming, that Ethio Telecom is maintaining to boost its initial launch, with the telco and its consortium expec...
Safaricom Pulls Staff Out of Ethiopia As War Nears the Capital City
Demonstrators take part in a rally in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on November 7, 2021, in support of the national defense forces. Image sourced from Eduardo Soteras, AFP via Business Daily Africa. East Africa’s leading telecom company Safaricom has reportedly evacuated some of its employees from Ethiopia, fearing disruption to its operations due to the ongoing armed conflict and civil unrest in the horn of Africa country. The firm evacuated employees from the country on Wednesday and Friday. Safaricom is part of a larger consortium that is aiming to start operations in Ethiopia sometime next year, after months of negotations with the Ethiopian government. The Safaricom consortium was awarded an operating license in the country by the government for an initial period of 15 years. A number of nat...
Orange Submits Interest for Stake in Ethio Telecom
Sourced from MSNBC. French telecom firm Orange has submitted an expression of interest to participate in the ongoing partial privatisation of Ethiopia’s Ethio Telecom. This is according to Ethiopia’s ambassador to Paris, sharing the news on Twitter. Fruitful discussions with team of @orange which has formally submitted interest to participate in the partial privatization of @ethiotelecom! 🇪🇹 with fast growing economy & income of +100 mln people remains very attractive to foreign investors. @MoF_Ethiopia @mfaethiopia pic.twitter.com/vXJxTnYHas — Henok Teferra Shawl (@_HenokTeferra) July 20, 2021 Henok Teferra Shawl said in the tweet that Orange had “formally submitted interest to participate in the partial privatisation of Ethio Telecom.” Saying that discussions with Ora...
Safaricom’s Plans in Ethiopia Hit Snag Due to Possible US Payment Ban
Image sourced from Techweez Safaricom’s plans to expand into Ethiopia have hit a complication as a US State financier is threatening to recall its loans to a Safaricom-led consortium following an escalation of armed conflict in the horn of Africa. The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) says that acts of violence against civilians in Ethiopia’s Tigray region could affect the release of $500-million in loans to the consortium. If the conflict deepens, it could push the DFC to forgo the investments altogether and pressure the telecoms in the consortium to seek finances from elsewhere. War in Tigray DFC’s financing of the consortium had previously been thrown into doubt over US economic sanctions against Ethiopia related to the ongoing conflict in Tigray, which has killed t...
