Safaricom Ethiopia has announced the expansion of its network and services to five new cities in December 2021: Hawassa, Assela, Jigjiga, Sodo, and Dilla. This expansion brings Safaricom Ethiopia’s current network footprint across the country to 21 cities, including Dire Dawa, Harar, Haramaya, Adama, Bahir Dar, Bishoftu, Mojo, Debre Birhan, Awoday, Gondar, Addis Ababa, Sebeta, Dessie, Kombolcha, Jimma, Shashemene, Dilla, Sodo, Jigjiga, Assela, and Hawassa.
New customers in the five additional cities will be able to purchase SIM cards for 30 birrs (approximately $0.68), choose their preferred phone numbers, buy airtime, and access dedicated customer support at the Safaricom Ethiopia branded shops in their respective cities. When customers join the “07” network, they will receive a welcoming package (Gursha) of 700 MB of data, 35 minutes of Safaricom-to-Safaricom voice calls, and another 35 minutes of voice calls across all networks, which is valid for 30 days. In addition to the welcoming package, customers will also receive a Gursha bonus when they buy airtime and a voice package.
In line with the network expansion, Safaricom Ethiopia is engaging with customers on its products and services through Below-The-Line (BTL) activations in all 21 cities. These activations include events in universities, open markets, distributor shops, and roadshows. The company aims to inform customers about its products and services and provide them with the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
“We are excited to expand our coverage into Hawassa, Assela, Jigjiga, Sodo, and Dilla with more cities set to join the growing Safaricom Ethiopia family,” said Anwar Soussa, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia. “We are also delighted to have expanded our services into more regional states. We thank the Government of Ethiopia, the regional governments, the Ethiopian Communications Authority, our shareholders, and partners for the continued support as we continue to add more cities to serve all of Ethiopia.”
Safaricom Ethiopia generated 98.3 million birrs (approximately $2.2 million) in revenue in its first month of operation. CEO Peter Ndegwa stated that the company has invested $598 million in its Ethiopian operations and is encouraged by the early uptake of its services in the new market.
Safaricom Plc is a leading telecommunications company in Kenya, and the expansion of its operations to Ethiopia marks its entry into the East African country. The company aims to provide reliable and affordable telecommunications services to customers in Ethiopia, as well as contribute to the country’s economic growth and development.
