Contents

1. Country background ............................................................. 1

1.1 Overview ............................................................................ 1

1.2 Demography ........................................................................ 2

1.3 Economy ............................................................................. 3

1.4 Human development ............................................................ 4

1.5 Political ............................................................................... 4

2. Communication technology status ........................................ 6

2.1 History and status of telecommunications in Ethiopia ................ 6

2.2 Network and capacity ........................................................... 6

2.3 Regulation and policy making .............................................. 12

2.4 Privatization ...................................................................... 13

2.5 Licensing ........................................................................... 13

2.6 Sector liberalization ............................................................ 14

2.7 International traffic and revenues ........................................ 16

3. Internet strategy and policy ............................................... 18

3.1 Status of the Internet ......................................................... 18

3.2 Pricing structure for Internet services ................................... 20

3.3 Regulatory status of Internet ............................................... 23

3.4 Universal access ................................................................ 24

4. Information and communication technologies and the nation26

4.1 Education .......................................................................... 26

4.2 Health .............................................................................. 28

4.3 E commerce and trade ....................................................... 28

4.4 Government ...................................................................... 29

4.5 NGOs and international organizations ................................... 29

5. Conclusions and recommendations ..................................... 31

5.1 State of the Internet in Ethiopia ........................................... 31

5.2 Sector liberalization strategy for Government ........................ 32

5.3 National strategies and policies to increase Internet diffusion .. 34

5.4 Ensuring low Internet access tariffs ...................................... 35

5.5 Universalizing access .......................................................... 36

5.6 Sectoral support strategies .................................................. 36

5.7 General operational strategies for ETC and ETA ...................... 39

5.8 Other observations ............................................................. 39

Annex 1: Framework dimensions ............................................. 40

Annex 2: Meeting Schedule ...................................................... 43

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