Digital: Ethio Telecom and Djibouti Telecom want to strengthen their alliance
October 21st 2025
In East Africa, digital technology is becoming a strategic driver of development. Cooperation between states and regional operators plays a central role in strengthening connectivity, fostering inclusion, and supporting the region’s economic competitiveness.
Ethio Telecom and Djibouti Telecom are looking to deepen their partnership to explore new areas of collaboration. Following a meeting held on Friday, October 17, in Addis Ababa, the two public operators announced their shared commitment to accelerating regional digital integration and strengthening cooperation in East Africa’s evolving digital ecosystem.
The expanded partnership now covers several strategic areas such as international gateways, interconnectivity, mobile money, enterprise solutions, and roaming services. The two operators are also continuing to implement the tripartite Horizon Fiber Initiative project, jointly led by Sudatel Telecom, which aims to strengthen regional fiber optic infrastructure and improve network resilience.
For Ethio Telecom, this cooperation is part of the strategic roadmap “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028,” focused on innovation, digital inclusion, and sustainable growth. According to official data, the operator surpassed 78 million subscribers in 2024. Its mobile payment platform, Telebirr, has more than 54.8 million users and processes a transaction volume of 2.38 trillion birr ($15.95 billion) annually, contributing to the digitalization of the economy and financial inclusion in Ethiopia.
For its part, Djibouti Telecom is aligning this strengthened partnership with its national strategy to make the country a major regional digital hub. Already interconnected to more than 13 international submarine cables, Djibouti is positioning itself as a digital gateway between Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The operator recently modernized its infrastructure and expanded its data center capacity, with the aim of attracting more regional partners and supporting the growth of international traffic.
If the two operators deliver on their new commitments, this alliance could accelerate the establishment of an integrated regional digital backbone, reduce connectivity costs, and strengthen digital sovereignty in the Horn of Africa. This enhanced cooperation would position Ethio Telecom and Djibouti Telecom among the key players in the continent’s digital transformation.
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