The Ethiopian regulator has announced the suspension of the sale of the country’s second mobile phone license, Orange was a candidate but this should not affect the operator who has revised its plans.
Ethiopia opens the way for other operators to offer mobile telecom networks. This African country, with a population of 110 million, is growing and needs efficient mobile networks and also competition.
Thus, two licenses are offered for sale. The first was given to Safaricom, a Kenyan operator, but the second was still waiting for a buyer and after various requests, Ethiopian Telecom Authority (ECA), the Ethiopian Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, has decided to postpone the sale.
Orange is well known for its location in Africa and the current operator wanted to launch in Ethiopia but the conditions were not fully met to properly position itself, Orange has decided not to position itself on this second license, so this decision should not affect plans.
It must be said that Orange, which launched Orange Money in Africa, found itself frustrated with its plans. Since the operator was not able to launch its cash service in Ethiopia, the desire to set up there was weaker.
However, Orange prefers to look for another solution to be present in the country. In fact, Orange could acquire a stake in Ethio, the national operator.
