Users of mobile telephones double across country

28 August 2006

Addis Ababa, August 27, 2006 (WIC) – The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation disclosed that the number of beneficiaries of mobile telephone services in the country has doubled.

According to a document obtained from the corporation, it managed to double mobile telephone coverage after undertaking several expansion activities that increased the corporation’s capacity of mobile network to 1.5 million last fiscal year.

The number of beneficiaries also increased following the installation of 130,000 lines in 84 towns and expansion works on 35 stations here in Addis Ababa.

Among the expansion and installation works conducted by Nokia and Erickson companies are the Goba, Robe, Awash-Mille and Dessie-Mille towns as well as expansion of 23,545 lines to Modjo, Debrezeit and Dukem towns so as to mitigate the network congestion in Adama town.

Despite the growth in the number of mobile technology in the country, a lot of work remains ahead to close to the level of sub-Saharan countries, the document indicated.

Currently mobile distribution ration per 100 people is 1.1 in Ethiopia, 3.8 in sub-Saharan Africa, 13.9 in north Africa and 41 in south Africa, according to the document.