(Ecofin Agency) - Safaricom is expected to launch commercial operations in Ethiopia in the coming days. For months now, Ethio Telecom, which is well aware of the competitive weight carried by the new market player, has been implementing actions to reinforce its market position and be a step ahead of the new entrant. 

Ethiopian incumbent operator Ethio Telecom will launch a music and video streaming service in the coming weeks, a local media reported. In February 2022, it issued tender calls for that purpose, we learn. 

The new service is part of Ethio Telecom's new three-year strategy, unveiled on September 26. Through this strategy, called "Lead", the company aims to explore new business segments and solutions beyond connectivity.

The initiative is one of its "offensive strategies" in response to the upcoming commercial war in the domestic telecom market with Safaricom slated to launch operations in the country. Its strategies include the launch of pre-commercial 5G services, the adoption of Israeli company Allot's traffic management solution, and Subex's "Business Assurance" solution.

For the 2022/2023 fiscal year, it expects to increase its subscriber base by 10.3 percent, to  73.5 million, and generate Br75 billion (US$1.4 billion) in revenue.

Isaac K. Kassouwi