Safaricom Ethiopia tops 15m active subscribers in September 2026

TL;DR: Safaricom Ethiopia said on 4 September 2026 that it had passed 15 million 90-day active subscribers. The operator launched commercial services in Ethiopia in October 2022. It has deployed more than 3,500 network sites and says its network reaches about 60% of the population.

Safaricom Ethiopia said on 4 September 2026 that it had surpassed 15 million 90-day active subscribers, less than four years after launching commercial services in Ethiopia.

Safaricom Ethiopia received a unified telecom licence from the Ethiopian government in July 2021 and began commercial operations in October 2022. The company entered a market that had previously been dominated by state-owned Ethio Telecom.

Safaricom Ethiopia said it has deployed more than 3,500 network sites since entering the market. The operator said its network now reaches around 60% of Ethiopia's population and that all of its sites are 4G-enabled and 5G-ready.

Safaricom Ethiopia said the subscriber milestone comes as it moves toward financial breakeven after several years of investment in network infrastructure, technology and distribution. The operator is part of the Vodafone-backed Safaricom group.