Addis Ababa, August 26, 2025 (FMC) – State-owned operator Ethio telecom has launched its new three-year roadmap, the “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 Strategy,” alongside its 2018 Ethiopian Fiscal Year (EFY) annual business plan, setting ambitious growth and investment targets to reinforce its position as a regional digital powerhouse.
The strategy, unveiled at the Science Museum in Addis Ababa, succeeds the company’s recently concluded LEAD Growth Strategy (2022–2025), which Ethio telecom described as a transformative phase that expanded its subscriber base and solidified its role in the country’s digital economy.
Chief among the targets, Ethio telecom projects 235.8 billion birr in revenue for the 2018 EFY, marking a 45.6 percent increase compared to the previous year. Of this, 40 percent is expected to come from businesses beyond traditional telecom services, particularly digital finance, enterprise solutions, and device sales. The company aims to deliver a pre-tax profit of 76 billion birr, up 260 percent year-on-year, while contributing over 70 billion birr in taxes and 35.4 billion birr in dividends to the government.
With a current subscriber base of over 83 million, Ethio telecom plans to grow its customers by 6 percent to 88 million this fiscal year, including a 23 percent increase in fixed broadband subscriptions. By the end of the three-year strategy period (2027/28), the company projects its total customers to reach 100 million.
A cornerstone of the new strategy is the continued expansion of 4G and 5G services. Ethio telecom plans to raise 4G coverage from 71 percent to 85 percent by 2028, adding 1,228 new mobile sites—322 of them in rural areas—and rolling out 5G in 10 additional cities. Parallel investments will be made in fiber optic networks, cloud infrastructure, modular and hyperscale data centers, and cybersecurity solutions.
The company’s mobile money platform telebirr is also positioned as a key growth driver. Ethio telecom expects telebirr users to increase by 14 percent this year to 62.5 million, with transaction value rising by 86 percent to 4.43 trillion birr. Over the next three years, the platform is projected to reach 75 million users, with transaction volumes surging by over 400 percent and revenues climbing to 49.1 billion birr.
Ethio telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamru said the Next Horizon strategy seeks to push the company “beyond connectivity into platforms, ecosystems, and solutions” that will catalyze Ethiopia’s national development priorities while expanding its regional footprint.
The strategy, built on six themes—including customer experience excellence, technology innovation, business diversification, and sustainability—emphasizes AI-driven operations, green energy transition, and future-ready human capital. The company plans to convert up to 1,000 sites annually to solar and grid solutions, reducing fuel consumption by 16 percent and cutting carbon emissions.
Looking ahead, Ethio telecom projects to generate 842.3 billion birr in revenue over the three-year strategy period, grow its assets to 851 billion birr, and increase foreign currency earnings to nearly $1 billion.
The company noted, however, that execution will take place in a “highly dynamic and competitive environment,” with liberalization, regulatory enforcement, forex shortages, and new market entrants presenting both risks and opportunities.
“Next Horizon is not just continuity—it is a new beginning,” the company said in its statement, calling on regulators, business partners, and customers to support its role in shaping Ethiopia’s digital future and driving inclusive growth across Africa.