In a time when diversification is praised as strategic brilliance, Ethio Telecom is venturing into new territories—electric charging stations, eCommerce, and more. On paper, this may seem innovative. But for a company still struggling with its primary mission—delivering reliable telecom services to millions—this sudden expansion raises serious concerns.
The real question is: If Ethio Telecom can’t get telecom right, should it really be doing everything else?
Ethio Telecom’s job is to connect Ethiopia. Yet the service quality—call drops, slow internet, patchy coverage, and long customer service wait times—paints a different picture. When a core product remains flawed, expanding into other industries can look less like ambition and more like avoidance.
The mission is simple: Get telecom right first.
Charging stations and eCommerce are not bad ideas—in the right hands. But when a telecom giant steps into sectors far from its expertise while its own network crumbles under user complaints, it becomes obvious that this may be less about innovation and more about deflection.
Each new venture diverts resources—money, manpower, and management attention—that could have gone into fixing the core service millions rely on daily.
Let’s not forget—Ethio Telecom operated for decades as a state-backed monopoly. Now, with the telecom market only beginning to open up, the same institution is entering other industries still shielded by its historic advantages.
If a former monopoly is allowed to spread into multiple sectors while private businesses face red tape, poor infrastructure, and limited access to capital, is that innovation or unfair competition?
Startups in eCommerce, logistics, or even green energy may soon find themselves competing against a telecom titan with government support, national infrastructure, and deep pockets. That’s not a free market—it’s a tilted playing field.
True innovation would mean Ethio Telecom fixing dropped calls, rolling out affordable high-speed internet, introducing competitive pricing, and improving service delivery. That’s what the people need.
Instead, these new ventures feel like an attempt to escape the hard work of telecom reform. Rather than repairing what’s broken, Ethio Telecom seems more interested in becoming a jack-of-all-trades—without mastering its core trade.
To rebuild trust and truly contribute to Ethiopia’s digital future, Ethio Telecom must:
• Reinvest in core telecom infrastructure and service quality.
• Operate new ventures as independent, accountable entities to ensure market fairness.
• Support a level playing field by competing on merit, not legacy privilege.
• Invite transparency in all expansions, ensuring the public understands the funding, goals, and governance of these side businesses.
Ethio Telecom has a unique opportunity to lead Ethiopia into a digital era—but only if it remembers what it was built for. The answer is not to become everything at once, but to get one thing right first: telecom.
Because if the phones don’t work and the internet is down, nobody’s clicking “Add to Cart” on your eCommerce site anyway.
