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ADVERTSafaricom Ethiopia has crossed the 15 million 90-day active subscriber mark, capping five years of rapid expansion since the company received its full-service Unified Telecommunications Service Licence from the Ethiopian government in July 2021.
The milestone, achieved less than four years after the operator launched commercial services in October 2022, ranks among the fastest customer-growth journeys by a new telecommunications company that has built its network and customer base from the ground up.
Since entering the Ethiopian market, Safaricom has deployed more than 3,500 network sites, with its network now reaching approximately 60 per cent of the country’s population. All its sites are 4G-enabled and 5G-ready, positioning the operator to support Ethiopia’s growing demand for high-speed connectivity and digital services.
Safaricom Ethiopia Chief Executive Officer Wim Vanhelleputte said the scale and speed of the rollout demonstrated the company’s ability to build a nationwide telecommunications business in one of Africa’s largest and most strategically important markets.
“Since receiving our licence, we have built more than 3,500 network sites, with our network now reaching around 60 per cent of the country’s population,” Vanhelleputte said, describing the rollout as one of the fastest by a greenfield telecom operator in Africa and globally.
ADVERTThe company’s expanding footprint is increasingly extending reliable connectivity beyond major urban centres into smaller towns and communities, opening more Ethiopians to opportunities created by the digital economy.
Safaricom’s growth is also bringing the business closer to financial breakeven after several years of heavy investment in network infrastructure, technology, distribution and operations. The rapidly expanding subscriber base and strengthening revenues are helping improve the operator’s commercial position as it moves towards a more sustainable phase of growth.
But the significance of Safaricom Ethiopia’s five-year journey extends beyond subscriber numbers and corporate performance.
The opening of Ethiopia’s telecommunications market to competition has helped accelerate the country’s broader digital transformation, with connectivity expanding, internet speeds improving, data consumption rising and digital payments gaining greater traction.
The telecom liberalisation has also contributed to the emergence of new opportunities for technology entrepreneurs, digital businesses and skilled professionals, particularly in information technology.
Vanhelleputte said Safaricom had witnessed the emergence of world-class Ethiopian technology talent while contributing to the development of the wider digital ecosystem.
Beyond its commercial investments, the company says it has committed ETB139 million directly to community development and support during its four years of operations. Shareholders and partners have contributed a further ETB545 million, taking the total community investment to ETB684 million.
The figures underline the broader economic footprint of a telecom investment that has moved rapidly from market entry to mass-market adoption.
Safaricom Ethiopia’s five-year story therefore represents more than the arrival of another telecommunications operator. It reflects the transformative potential of competition in Africa’s digital economy—where network expansion can simultaneously drive financial inclusion, digital payments, access to information, technology skills and new economic opportunities.
With more than 15 million active subscribers, 3,500-plus network sites and coverage reaching about 60 per cent of Ethiopia’s population, Safaricom Ethiopia enters its next chapter from a position of considerable scale.
The challenge now is to convert that impressive expansion into sustained profitability while extending quality connectivity to the millions of Ethiopians who remain outside the digital economy.
For Safaricom, Ethiopia is no longer simply a new market. It is emerging as one of the company’s most consequential bets on Africa’s rapidly digitising future.
