Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia P.L.C. (STE) ሳፋሪኮም ቴሌኮሙኒኬሽን ኢትዮጵያ ፒ.ኤል.ሲ., previously known as Global Partnership for Ethiopia BV (GPE), is an SPV awarded a licence to operate telecom services in Ethiopia at a license fee of US$850 million. This fee made it the single largest foreign direct investment into Ethiopia. The firm is expected to roll out telephony services from 2022
Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia P.L.C.
ሳፋሪኮም ቴሌኮሙኒኬሽን ኢትዮጵያ ፒ.ኤል.ሲ.
| Website | Homepage |
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Shareholding
As of 25 May 2021, the shareholding of Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia was reported to be as follows:
| Rank | Name of Owner | Country | Percentage Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safaricom | Kenya | 55.70 |
| 2 | Sumitomo Corporation | Japan | 27.20 |
| 3 | British International Investment | United Kingdom | 10.90 |
| 4 | Vodacom | South Africa | 6.20 |
| Total | 100.00 |
New Developments
In February 2022, STE completed the assembly of a Tier III, pre-fabricated data centre, that was manufactured in China. The data centre, which cost US$100 million, will be used to route voice, internet and network communications on the STE network and to store data. The data center is reported to be the size of a “shipping container”
In April 2022, STE agreed in principle with Ethio Telecom for the latter to provide STE access to “cell sites, masts and other active elements such as network roaming”. While the details have not been revealed as of 20 April 2022, a deal is imminent and an agreement is expected to be signed “soon”.
