Ethiopia Internet Case Study

2.

Communication technology status

2.1

History and status of

in the wake of the market reforms,

telecommunications in

the Government created a new

Ethiopia

separate regulatory body by

Proclamation 49/1996, establishing

Established over a century ago, the

the Ethiopian Telecommunication

Ethiopian Telecommunication

Agency (ETA), which has the objective

Corporation (ETC) is the oldest public

of promoting the development of  high

telecommunication operator (PTO) in

quality, efficient, reliable and

Africa. Although initially private, the

affordable telecommunication

company was placed under

services .

government control at the beginning

of the twentieth century, and was later

The same year, by Regulation

brought under the control of the

10/1996, the Council of Ministers set

Ministry of Post and Communications.

up the Ethiopian Telecommunication

Already in 1952, telecommunication

Corporation (ETC), to which all the

services were separated from the

rights and obligations of the former

postal administration, and fell under

Ethiopian Telecommunication

the Ministry of Transport and

Authority were transferred. ETC would

Communications (today Ministry of

operate as a public enterprise under

Infrastructures Development).

the authority/supervision of the ETA,

with the principal duty of maintaining

The first long distance telephone line

and expanding telecommunication

in Ethiopia was established in 1894

services in the country and providing

between Addis Abeba and Harar. The

domestic and international telephone,

network began to expand from then

telex, telefax and other communi 

on, extending to other cities in

cation services. In this respect, it is

Ethiopia. After the end of the war

currently deemed by the Regulation

against Italy, Ethiopia established the

to be the only operator of any

Imperial Board of Telecommunica 

telecommunication related service,

tions, whose activity was funded from

including the provision of the Internet

domestic sources and from the World

and public phones.

Bank. The Board had full financial and

administrative autonomy and was in

2.2

Network and capacity

charge of the provision and the

expansion of telecommunication

Notwithstanding improvements in

services in Ethiopia. Today, the

recent years, the telecommunication

backbone network is constituted from

network in Ethiopia is still among the

a variety of microwave, satellite and

least developed in the world: with

also fiber optic links. International

only 324'729 fixed lines in service

access is provided by satellite and the

in 2001, teledensity reached only

PANAFTEL terrestrial microwave

0 . 5 4   p e r   c e n t ,   d e s p i t e   t h e

network, connecting Ethiopia to other

20 per cent growth realized in the

Southern and Eastern African

last two years (see  Figure 3).

1

countries via links to some

Further improvements are foreseen

neighbouring countries (see below).

in 2002, when ETC is planning to

connect 80'000 new lines. However,

The Imperial Telecommunication

there is a large difference among

Board, which became the Ethiopian

urban and rural areas, with about 60

Telecommunication Authority in 1981,

per cent of telephones concentrated

was placed in charge of both the

in the capital city, accounting for less

operation and regulation of

than the three per cent of the total

telecommunication services. In 1996,

population.

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