Aware that its monopoly on the Ethiopian market will soon be nothing more than an old dream, Ethio Telecom (Ethiotel) has been preparing for several months to compete with its new adversary, the consortium formed by Britain’s Vodafone.
After proposing to buy mobile phones on credit, the operator with 50 million mobile customers recently launched financial services with Telebirr. This new service, which primarily targets rural areas, claims to have acquired one million customers just one week after its launch on 11 May, and expects to attract 21 million within a year.
A mobile money novice
But some experts – like this entrepreneur, who is familiar with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration – are much more sceptical about this service that was created in five months by Huawei.
There's more to this story
Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.
cancel anytime
Already a a subscriber Sign In
