Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia

Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia P.L.C. (STE), previously known as Global Partnership for Ethiopia BV (GPE), is an SPV awarded a licence to operate telecom services in Ethiopia[2] at a license fee of US$850 million.[3] This fee made it the single largest foreign direct investment into Ethiopia.[3][4] The firm is expected to roll out telephony services from 2022.[5][6][7]

Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia P.L.C.
ሳፋሪኮም ቴሌኮሙኒኬሽን ኢትዮጵያ ፒ.ኤል.ሲ.
Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia
TypeSubsidiary of Safaricom
IndustryTelecommunications
HeadquartersAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
Key people
Anwar Soussa
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director[1]
ProductsG.S.M related products and Mobile Money Transfer
Brands
  • M-Pesa
  • Masoko (e-commerce)
  • Fuliza
  • DigiFarm
  • M-Shwari
Services
WebsiteHomepage

Shareholding

As of 25 May 2021, the shareholding of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia was reported to be as follows:[5][8]

GPE proposed ownership
RankName of OwnerCountryPercentage Ownership
1SafaricomKenya
55.70
2Sumitomo CorporationJapan
27.20
3British International InvestmentUnited Kingdom
10.90
4VodacomSouth Africa
6.20
Total
100.00

New Developments

In February 2022, STE completed the assembly of a Tier III, pre-fabricated data centre, that was manufactured in China. The data centre, which cost US$100 million, will be used to route voice, internet and network communications on the STE network and to store data. The data center is reported to be the size of a "shipping container"[9]

In April 2022, STE agreed in principle with Ethio Telecom for the latter to provide STE access to "cell sites, masts and other active elements such as network roaming". While the details have not been revealed as of 20 April 2022, a deal is imminent and an agreement is expected to be signed "soon".[10]

See also

References
  1. Bonface Otieno (5 July 2021). "Vodacom DRC chief to head Safaricom's Ethiopian unit". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  2. "GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR ETHIOPIA WELCOMES LICENCE AWARD TO OPERATE TELECOM SERVICES IN ETHIOPIA". 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  3. "The Council of Minister of Ethiopia today announced accepting the $850 million license fee offer of Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of major international telecom service providers". 22 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  4. "Global consortium wins Ethiopia's telecom license for $850M". 22 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  5. Juma, Victor (25 May 2021). "Safaricom reveals ownership of Ethiopia venture". Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  6. "ሳፋሪኮም ኢትዮጵያ አገልግሎት መስጠት መጀመሩን ይፋ አደረገ". BBC News. 6 October 2022.
  7. "ሳፋሪኮም ኢትዮጵያ በአዲስ አበባ የኔትዎርክ አገልግሎት መስጠት ጀመረ". Special Broadcasting Service. 7 October 2022.
  8. Kepha Muiruri (25 May 2021). "Safaricom to commence operations in Ethiopia next year". Citizen Television Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  9. Tesfa-Alem Tekle (23 February 2022). "Safaricom sets up first data centre in Ethiopia". The EastAfrican. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  10. Brian Ngugi (20 April 2022). "Safaricom, Ethiopian telco sign network-sharing deal". The EastAfrican. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 20 April 2022.


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