The news
- Ethio Telecom expects its full-year revenue to grow by 45.5%, driven by increased data usage and mobile money adoption.
- The company projects its subscriber base will reach 88 million and Telebirr users will grow by 14%.
- Over 1,600 mobile network sites were deployed last year, many in underserved areas.
- Ethiopia’s privatisation of Ethio Telecom remains paused, with the operator excluded from the country’s new stock exchange.
Ethiopia’s state-owned telecom operator, Ethio Telecom, is projecting a 45.5% rise in full-year revenue by June 2026, according to its CEO, Frehiwot Tamiru. The increase is attributed to rising data consumption, a growing customer base, and continued adoption of the company’s mobile money platform, Telebirr.
Frehiwot, who has led the telco since 2018, disclosed that Ethio Telecom expects to grow its subscribers by 6% to around 88 million people, with Telebirr users set to expand by 14% during the same period.
The announcement follows a strong fiscal year that ended in June 2025, during which Ethio Telecom posted a pre-tax profit of 76 billion birr ($537 million), representing more than an 80% jump from the previous year.
The growth stems from Ethio Telecom’s recent strategy of strengthening infrastructure and expanding its digital services. In the past year alone, the operator rolled out 1,683 new mobile network sites — 836 of them in previously underserved areas — significantly improving coverage across Ethiopia.
Telebirr, launched in May 2021, continues to play a central role in Ethio Telecom’s broader transformation. The platform allows users to transfer money, pay utility bills, buy airtime, and access digital financial services through a smartphone app or USSD.
With a system capable of handling up to 100 transactions per second — scalable to 1,000 — the platform has helped deepen financial inclusion in Ethiopia, especially in rural regions.
Despite its strong financial performance, Ethio Telecom’s path to privatisation remains unclear. The Ethiopian government had planned to sell up to 45% of its stake to private investors as part of broader economic reforms. However, this plan has since been paused due to macroeconomic pressures, foreign currency shortages, and ongoing debates about the strategic role of the telco.
The delay also meant Ethio Telecom was notably absent from Ethiopia’s recently launched stock exchange, the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX), where the government had once hinted at listing the company via Telebirr integration.
As Ethio Telecom charts its next growth phase, its ability to maintain momentum, while navigating a shifting political and economic landscape will likely shape Ethiopia’s broader digital transformation journey.
