Several telecom companies are competing to snatch two mobile operating licenses that Ethiopia has offered to local and foreign investors.
According to ArabiaNet, the competition includes Vodafone, Saudi Telecom, Emirates Telecom, and Orange Orange, in addition to several other companies.
Ethiopia is the last huge closed market in the world, and these licenses are aimed at opening the market of more than 100 million people to foreign investors and multinationals, and ending the monopoly of ETHIO State-owned TELECOM for those services.
The Ethiopian Communications Authority has received 12 offers to obtain the two licenses after the deadline for expressing wishes, including 9 offers from mobile companies, two offers from two non-operating companies, and another incomplete offer.
