Ethiopia Internet Case Study

require ETC to provide an additional

not syphoned off by foreign, cream 

36'000 subscribers in areas outside

skimming competitors focusing on the

Addis Abeba by 2005/2006. If the

more lucrative urban areas.

licensee fails  to  achieve the rollout

target for the Internet, it must pay

Currently, the only official government

ETA a penalty of Birr 300 for each

activity to promote public access to

missed subscription in each year.

the Internet is the ETC cybercafes

Similarly, there are penalties for not

located in downtown Addis Abeba.

meeting service level requirements.

More recently, the British Council has

obtained permission to operate a

Aside from a privacy policy forbidding

cybercafe, as part of its library, on its

disclosure of user details, EthioNet has

premises in the city. The British

also had an Acceptable Use Policy

Council has also assisted in the

(AUP) from its inception, which

establishment of a multi purpose

includes the stipulation that

community telecentre in Wolisso, a

anonymous transmissions are

town 116 km from Addis Abeba,

prohibited and that accounts are non 

through a joint project with the ESTC

transferable or cannot be shared with

and with funding from the British

third parties outside the same

Embassy. The telecentre provides

organization. This latter condition was

communities in Wolisso with Internet

considerably abused during the period

browsing and e mail services including

in which no new accounts were being

other communication facilities such as

accepted, because the Global One

fax and telephone. As part of the same

technical implementation did not bar

project, there is a plan to set up

simultaneous use. Thus the same

another two telecentres at Debre

account was resold many times by

Berhan and in Tigray. More recently,

some users.

the Agence de la Francophonie (OIF)

has begun plans to open a cybercafes

3.4

Universal access

with 12 PCs in Addis Abeba which will

offer access to French online materials

A study by the ETA of universal service

for free.

needs and goals is currently under

way. Much of the ETC's current

Private cybercafes have so far been

strategy, as directed by government,

discouraged because of their

is informed by traditional universal

contravention of the current

service objectives    i.e. to roll out

telecommunication policy. This is

voice services to every district

exacerbated by ETC's concern that

(Warada) and ultimately to the

these are providing VoIP services and

smallest administrative unit, the

a number have been shut down.

Kebele (farmers' association). Basic

Nevertheless, there are dozens of

voice services are seen as the primary

cybercafes in Addis Abeba unofficially

concern to be addressed, rather than

providing Internet browsing and e mail

to use scarce resources for more

services, including in major hotels and

limited demand for advanced services.

organizations such as the Hilton, and

This is also seen as a reason for

the Chamber of Commerce. Many of

ensuring that ETC retains a monopoly

them offer a wide range of business

in all services so that the funds for

services such as photocopying, printing,

rolling out services in rural areas are

fax delivery, stationary and IT products.

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