(Ecofin Agency) - The Communications Authority of Ethiopia (ECA) has drafted new guidelines for the award of new telecom licenses following the new telecommunications regulatory framework. They cover telecommunications licensing, consumer rights and protection, and dispute resolution.

On 28 April 2020, to gather views, proposals, and counter-proposals of the various parties involved in the process of awarding new telecom licenses and ensuring the success of the operation, the telecom regulator opened a consultation on these new guidelines. This stakeholder consultation will continue until 11 May 2020.

The ECA has indicated that additional guidelines will be published in the coming days, covering, but not limited to, quality of service (QoS), numbering, interconnection, infrastructure sharing and collocation, rights of way for telecommunications and the universal access obligation framework.

The Ethiopian government initiated the process of liberalizing its telecom market since June 2019 to make it competitive and attract foreign capital. Two mobile licenses are to be issued and the capital of the incumbent operator Ethiopian Telecom is to be opened up. More than 22 bids have already been registered by the Ethiopian authorities, including those of Vodacom Group Ltd, MTN Group Ltd, and Orange SA.