Ethiopia unlocks one of the world’s last closed telecoms markets

Sisay Alebachew, a motorcycle driver for a delivery service company Deliver Addis, receives items from a cafe to deliver in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The shake-up of the telecoms sector is a cornerstone of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's economic reform agenda, although there are several big unknowns. These include how much money outside firms will need to fork up to enter the market and what, exactly, the revamped sector will look like. — Photos: AFP

ADDIS ABABA: For delivery man Sisay Alebachew, the difference between a good and bad day depends on Ethio Telecom, Ethiopia’s monopoly telecoms provider.

When the Internet is down or too slow to use, customers struggle to place orders on the website of Deliver Addis, Sisay’s e-commerce employer, meaning he has little to do.