ECA Receives 12 Expressions of Interest for Two Telecom Licenses - ENA English
ECA Receives 12 Expressions of Interest for Two Telecom Licenses
Addis Ababa June 26/2020(ENA) Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has received 12 expressions of interest for the two telecommunications licenses.
According to a statement sent to ENA, the prospective bidders were given one month to express their interest by submitting the requested information.
In the expressions of interest, the prospective bidders were requested to provide information on their organizational structure, global operating footprint, details of countries of operation, number of mobile phone subscribers, and other relevant information.
The statement further stated that the requests were aimed at helping the authority assess the strength of potential bidders and determine the adequate level of qualification criteria to select the type of operators that would fit best into the Ethiopian market.
On the closing date of June 22nd, 2020, the ECA received 12 submissions, of which 9 are telecom operators and 2 are non-telecom operators and one incomplete submission, it was stated.
Accordingly, the ECA acknowledged receipt of complete information and expression of interest from the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (a consortium of telecom operators made of Vodafone, Vodacom, and Safaricom), Etisalat, Axian, and MTN.
Moreover, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company, Telkom SA, Liquid Telecom, Snail Mobile, and the two non-telecom operators, Kandu Global Telecommunications and Electromecha International Projects have also acknowledged receipt of complete information.
ECA remains fully committed to fulfill Ethiopia’s telecommunications sector reform and enhance its digital transformation, it was indicated.
It is to be recalled that on May 21st, 2020, the Ministry of Finance and Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) launched Expression of Interest process for the issuance of two new full-service telecommunication licenses in Ethiopia.
The Government of Ethiopia has been working to privatize the telecom sector to make it more competitive and attract foreign investments in the sector.