The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has again extended the deadline for telecom operators to apply for two new mobile licences, following a request by prospective bidders. In a brief statement posted on its twitter, the regulator set 26 April as the revised deadline for pitches to enter the market and compete with incumbent Ethio Telecom. The regulator said the revised date follows requests by bidders for more time to finalise their offers, in light of the Covid market environment.
ECA said it considered their request to be appropriate and thus extended the deadline until 26 April at 10:00 hrs. The watchdog had started the process in November 2020. Terms were available to operators on request until mid-December 2020, with a date of 05 March initially set for completion of tender documents. This was then extended until 05 April.
Two international operators will obtain nationwide full service licences with Ethio Telecom and will be licensed for fifteen years. The licence is subject to renewal and will enable the companies to provide mobile, internet and fixed call services. The Ethiopian government is expected to raise USD 1 billion in revenue from the two fifteen-year licences.
