Safaricom has notched a major milestone in its new frontier, Ethiopia, announcing that it now serves 10 million active customers within a 90-day period — just four years after it was granted a license to operate in Africa’s second most populous nation.

The Kenyan telco giant, which leads a consortium that broke Ethiopia’s long-standing telecom monopoly in 2021, said it has invested over 300 billion Ethiopian birr (about $2.2 billion) to establish a telecom and digital financial services infrastructure across the country.

Since switching on its first signal in Dire Dawa in August 2022, and officially launching in the capital city Addis Ababa and 10 other cities two months later, Safaricom Ethiopia has rapidly expanded its footprint.

Currently, the firms 4G network now covers over half of Ethiopia’s population, powered by 3,141 live sites in more than 150 towns and cities.

While the total customer base has surged to 10 million during the period under focus, the company revealed that 7.1 million subscribers are active mobile data users. Monthly data consumption has also risen sharply —averaging 6.5GB per user, reflecting a 53 percent increase from the previous year.

"Achieving an active customer base of 10 million is a significant milestone for us, but it also brings with it great responsibility. Behind each SIM card there is an individual, a family, a business, and a future," said Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte. 

He noted that the telco's mission remains to deepen digital connectivity and empower people through access to a suite of transformative services.

At the moment, the telco is currently onboarding an average of 31,000 new users each day, a pace that underscores the strong demand for alternative telecom services in a country that previously relied solely on the state-run Ethio Telecom.

Safaricom Ethiopia secured a mobile money license in May 2023 and launched its money transfer platform, M-PESA, in August of the same year. The entry of the globally acclaimed mobile money service is expected to further boost financial inclusion in Ethiopia, a nation where a significant portion of the population remains unbanked.

Safaricom Ethiopia's growing impact extends beyond connectivity. The company employs 900 direct staff — 97 percent of whom are Ethiopian — and has created indirect jobs for more than 20,000 people through its network of brand ambassadors, distribution partners, and subcontractors in the country.

The company’s presence is also beginning to pay financial dividends. According to Safaricom Group’s latest financial results for the year ending March 31, 2025, the Ethiopian unit contributed nearly 10 percent of total group revenue. The telco forecasts the new frontier will turn profitable by the FY2027.

From zero presence just a few years ago to a thriving digital footprint, Safaricom Ethiopia’s rapid ascent signals a new era for the country’s telecom sector—one driven by competition, innovation, and a commitment to connect millions of Ethiopians to a digital future.

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