BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
The Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) is investing its time, finance and human resources to modernize and expand its services to reach various customers through cutting edge technology.
When recently launched its 4G LTE Advanced Services at Hawassa town and the surrounding, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ethio-Telecom, Frehiwot Tamiru announced that, the company planned to reach 103 towns with LT services and in line with the program, 12 towns located in the southern region of Ethiopia such as; Hawassa, Shashemene, Arsi Negele, Bule Hora, Dilla, Yabello, Yirgaalem,Aletawondo, Moyale, Shakiso, Adolla and Negelle obtained the service.
The 4G provides reliable, speedy and bandwidth mobile telephone internet services to the customers which help to digitized and enhance productivity.
Until now, Ethio-Telecom could reach 65 towns with 4G LTE services and in the future based on the data traffic demand will continue its efforts to expand the services.
Companies which engaged in supplying the telecom apparatus such as smart phone should redouble their efforts because the service plays crucial role in creating the society enriched by information.
As to the Chief Executive Officer, it is proved that the internet service provision helps to raise productivity and to empower citizens to be active in exerting their civic duty and build up their potential.
Banks and other service providing institutions could easily transact their finance and introduce the types of their products with online service.
Currently, citizens can easily receive and send their money to their relatives through mobile banking facilitated via internet. In addition to these, the facility enables institutions to do their day today business virtual. The COVID-19 incidence is vivid evidence in this regard. Therefore, it should be recognized that behind each bank activities there is Ethio-telecom.
Banking service is highly utilizing data and other information hence, the availability of internet service enables to do the work cost effectively in efficient manner.
Many organizations owing to the Ethio-telecom service could reduce their transaction cost so that enable to minimize their expense.
Previously the 4G service was only availed to Addis Ababa but now the expansion of the service in various parts of the country enabled business enterprises to do their business in a simplest way.
Not only had these, but also the services helped citizens to practice self-education and upgrade their knowledge and academic status. It also helps to transfer information to their cliques with no time and place barrier.
In general, the penetration of the internet service in various parts of the country particularly in the urban centers enabled to support the building of digital economy.
Currently, the expansion of the internet infrastructure enabled to enhance the number of social media users. In addition, the introduction of the tariff reduction since 2018 attracted the more people to subscribe the service and from time to time the users’ number is increasing.
The expansion of the internet service is demand driven and nowadays users unable to transact their capital with out using the internet through their mobile phone. The service also shortened the value chain to business men this again paved the way to meet the nation aspiration for prosperity.
By now more companies are involving in supplying the mobile service devices which again add value on the economy.
Internet users whenever open their devices should get relevant information and in this regard content producers play crucial role in creating informed society. They should organize information data and up load it so that, the internet infrastructure will be effectively utilized. Huge amount of money is allocated for the expansion of the infrastructure hence, to use it cost effectively, loading data on the internet enables to fulfill the purpose of the expansion.
Utilizing the infrastructure is unthinkable without getting devices such as smartphone and LT. Therefore; companies which engaged in importing devices must increase their trade volume so that meeting the growing demand will be possible.
However, importers must consider that the purchasing power of the users and supply in affordable price both qualitatively and quantitatively. Because when the price hike occurs, customers might show reluctance to engage in utilizing the internet infrastructure.
As mentioned above, the number of customers who utilize the internet is growing from time to time. In the earlier times the internet traffic was 53 Giga bite per second but currently, it rose to 520 Giga bite and this indicates that how the number of users and the traffic flow is rapidly growing.
The number of you tubers is also increasing rapidly. They produce vital content and disseminate to their followers. The availability of google serves also helps to reach the public with essential information through various applications.
New techniques developed by local professionals who serve both for down loading and uploading data.
As to the Chief Executive Officer of the company, currently, the number of the customers reached to 55.4 million out of these, 25 million customers is internet users. The expansion of LG system also helped to increase the number of customers.
The infrastructure population coverage rose to 95 percent while the geographic coverage rose to 84.5 percent. The density of the tele also rose to 53.5 percent. The number of the broad band internet users is also increasing rapidly. For instance, the number of the subscribers rose from bellow 100 thousand to over 158 thousand within two years.
Companies which use Internet can easily access data and enable to upgrade their services and to advertise their products and as the result could attract more customers and boost their capital.
She further explained that in the Southern Region, there are 351 thousand customers who use the data and out of this 182 of them utilize the LT device.
The Ethiopian Herald July 2021
