Trade Administration , the current contribution of the communication sector to GDP is approximately 2 %, compared with average 4 % in the East Africa region . Ethiopia ’ s wireless penetration stands at 58 %, as compared to the Sub-Saharan average of 75 %. Fixed and mobile line telephone density was 1 % and 58 %, respectively , in 2021 – 22 .

Networking investments

In September last year , Liquid Intelligent Technologies , a business of Cassava Technologies , a pan-African technology group , announced the launch of fully redundant terrestrial routes , from Kenya to Ethiopia and Zambia to Malawi . This significant achievement will allow for greater efficiency and reliable regional connectivity , both key to the economic development of these countries .

Spanning over 1,000 km , the fibre link between Kenya and Ethiopia offers businesses in Ethiopia access to data centres and cloud in Nairobi , Kenya , ensuring that data does not leave the continent . In addition , this link is further supported by the cross-border 711 km link between Zambia and Malawi , providing a direct and reliable connection to content caches and data centres in South Africa .

In partnership with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company and Ethiopia Electric Power , Liquid ’ s new link connects Nairobi and Mega , a town in southern Ethiopia , and provides a capacity of 4Tbps . Complementing the existing terrestrial routes across this border , the Kenya-Ethiopia route will now have carrier-grade connectivity , which serves to rapidly expand data traffic on this important route .

The fibre network will provide Kenya and Ethiopia with measurable benefits in terms of connectivity performance and accessibility as it connects the underserved towns of Suswa , Sereolipi , Ndaragwa and Marsabit , as well as Nairobi and Mega .

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