Both of Ethiopia’s operators – Ethio Telecom and Safaricom – have announced tariff rises, citing current macroeconomic conditions as the main reason, alongside increased investment requirements for network expansion and service quality. The ITWeb Africa news service calls this the company's most aggressive pricing adjustment since entering the Ethiopian market two years ago. Both price adjustments are being widely described as a response to the depreciation of the Ethiopian currency, following the government’s decision to allow the birr to float freely in mid-2024. That said, in November parent company Safaricom reported a narrower loss in its Ethiopian operations along with sustained growth in mobile money and data services. Safaricom Ethiopia’s customer base now stands at around 11.1 million users, impressive for a relative newcomer, although Ethio Telecom can now boast an estimated 86 million subscribers.

Source: Ethiopian News January 01, 2026 16:21 UTC