By: Tewodros Balch
Ethio Telecom
and Chinese network equipment vendor ZTE are advancing a large-scale network
modernisation programme as Ethio telecom seeks to expand high-speed mobile
connectivity and accelerate the digitisation of Ethiopia's economy.
Ethio Telecom
CEO Frehiwot Tamru met a ZTE delegation led by Executive Vice President and COO
Xie Junshi to review implementation of a network expansion and modernisation
agreement concluded at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona.
The programme
covers ZTE’s network footprint in Ethiopia and includes radio access network
(RAN), transmission and IP infrastructure upgrades. According to figures
released by Ethio Telecom, work has already been completed across 879 sites,
including 462 RAN modernisation sites.
The completed
RAN work comprises LTE layering at 180 sites, LTE upgrades at 248 sites and
full network swaps at 102 sites. The programme has also delivered 237
microwave-link upgrades and 103 IP RAN site expansions, according to the
operator.
A further phase
remains under execution, including 124 new sites, U2100 spectrum refarming at
272 sites and 115 rural connectivity sites.
Ethio Telecom
said the work has helped lift 4G mobile population coverage to 92% within the
ZTE network footprint.The scale of the programme makes it a significant
component of Ethio Telecom's broader network investment as the operator
implements its Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 strategy. The strategy
places increased emphasis on expanding data connectivity and building
infrastructure capable of supporting Ethiopia's rapidly growing
digital-services market.
Frehiwot
credited ZTE with supporting the programme's implementation and highlighted the
supplier's financing model and technical capabilities. She also called for
continued cooperation as the operator moves into the next phase of network
expansion, with what Ethio telecom described as more ambitious targets.
Beyond network
equipment and capacity, the discussions addressed the affordability barrier to
smartphone adoption. The two companies agreed to explore device-financing
models aimed at increasing access to affordable smartphones, a potentially
important component of Ethio telecom's efforts to translate wider 4G
availability into greater consumer adoption of mobile internet services.
The companies
also discussed energy efficiency and telecom infrastructure sustainability.
Under Ethio telecom's Green Operator programme, the operator and ZTE plan to
cooperate on renewable and other green-energy infrastructure intended to reduce
the energy consumption and carbon footprint associated with telecom network
operations.
The emphasis on
energy infrastructure reflects a broader challenge facing African telecom
operators: expanding network capacity and rural coverage while controlling the
rising power requirements and operating costs associated with increasingly
data-intensive mobile networks.
