Ethio telecom has expanded its fourth-generation (4G) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband service to 80 additional towns in Ethiopia, extending high-speed connectivity to more communities beyond established urban centres.
The rollout supports the operator’s three-year Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 strategy, which prioritises improved connectivity, network modernisation and wider access to digital services.
The expansion is expected to improve access to mobile internet, online education, digital commerce and financial services for residents and businesses in the newly covered towns. It could also help public institutions and businesses reach more people in areas where fixed broadband infrastructure remains limited.
The latest rollout builds on ongoing investment in mobile network infrastructure. In its first-half performance report for the 2025/26 fiscal year, Ethio telecom reported bringing 278 new mobile stations into operation, approximately 47% of them in rural areas. During the same period, 133 additional towns gained access to 4G LTE services.
The operator plans to accelerate its expansion during the second year of its Next Horizon strategy, covering the 2025/26 to 2027/28 fiscal years.
In its 2026/27 annual business plan, published on 3 September 2026, Ethio telecom outlined targets to increase 4G population coverage from 82.23% to 95% and expand the number of towns covered by 4G from 1,200 to 1,500. It also plans to increase its 4G site count from 6,924 to 11,014 under the plan’s stated baseline and target framework.
The company is targeting an increase in 5G coverage from 33 to 73 towns. Its rural connectivity programme aims to raise the number of rural mobile sites from 454 to 1,059 and deploy 1,685 additional mobile sites during the fiscal year, including 605 dedicated rural sites. The programme is expected to extend connectivity to more than 1,400 kebeles and approximately 4.5 million people.
Alongside geographical expansion, Ethio telecom plans to improve network capacity and service quality through fibre connections to mobile sites, indoor coverage solutions and Massive MIMO technology. These upgrades are intended to improve network efficiency and support growing demand for data services.
The 4G rollout also supports the operator’s broader ambition to expand beyond traditional telecommunications into digital financial services, cloud infrastructure, enterprise solutions and digital platforms.
Its telebirr digital financial services ecosystem demonstrates how wider connectivity can support access to digital payments and other online services. However, adoption will also depend on affordability, user trust and merchant acceptance.
More extensive mobile broadband coverage could also support enterprise services, digital public platforms and emerging applications involving cloud computing, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. Sustaining these services will require continued investment in network capacity, backhaul infrastructure and customer experience.
The addition of 80 towns marks another step in Ethio telecom’s efforts to extend mobile connectivity, modernise its network and expand access to digital services across Ethiopia.
