Ethio telecom’s mobile money service, telebirr, has reached a significant milestone, facilitating transactions worth nearly 3.3 trillion birr within just three years of its launch. With over 52 million customers onboarded, telebirr has become a cornerstone of Ethiopia’s digital financial ecosystem.
Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio telecom for the past six years, highlighted this achievement while addressing the company’s progress and ongoing challenges in a recent parliament briefing. Under her leadership, Ethio telecom has grown to serve nearly 82 million devices, making it the 17th largest telecom provider globally. Currently, around 43 million customers rely on the company’s internet services, with approximately 776,000 using broadband connections.
Frehiwot emphasized the importance of smartphone penetration, digital literacy, and affordability in realizing Ethiopia’s Digital Strategy. She also revealed telebirr’s growing footprint in digital lending, with nearly 17 billion birr disbursed to 7 million customers through partnerships with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) and Dashen Bank.
Looking ahead, Ethio telecom plans to expand 4G coverage to 500 new locations this year, more than doubling its coverage growth from the past four years. However, during her address, parliamentarians raised concerns over recurring issues affecting service reliability, signaling the need for continued improv
