This follows an Ethiopian government-backed deal that paves the way for Safaricom to start commercial operations in the market of 110 million people, Safaricom Ethiopia officials now say. Hopefully (we will launch) soon but we don’t have a date yet,” Safaricom chairman Michael Joseph told the Business Daily. Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) director-general Balcha Reba said the network sharing deal will be crucial for Safaricom as it will enable Safaricom customers to also call across Ethio telecom’s vast network. The consortium had been tipped to launch commercial services on April 9, 2022. Network sharing is a strategic solution for new entrants into a market already dominated by an incumbent operator or in mature developed markets.

Source: Daily Nation April 21, 2022 02:00 UTC