Ethiopian operator Ethio Telecom, is planning to acquire a communication satellite. The telecom infrastructure that will allow the company to extend its network coverage to the most remote areas of the country, will also guarantee savings on the costs of using foreign equipment.
Each year, Ethio Telecom estimates an average of US $12 million for capacity leasing on foreign satellites. Beyond the reduction of this operational burden, an appropriate telecommunications satellite will also guarantee the state a sovereignty in telecommunications.
Previously, there was an effort launched by former management of Ethio Telecom to acquire a communication satellite. However, the plan was aborted when another governmental organization, Information Network Security Agency (INSA), in charge of cybersecurity issues, proposed to acquire communication satellite which would serve on a larger scale. The Ethiopian government considered that it would be a waste of resources if Ethio Telecom and INSA each acquired their satellite. The pooling of efforts therefore took precedence.
However, the INSA finally no longer acquired telecommunications satellites. Ethio Telecom, which is determined to take advantage of this opportunity, said, “We are working on the plan. We will work on the strategy and present it to the government for approval.”
