(L-R) Woda Metal's CEO, Steven Cui and Wim Vanhelleputte, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia.

Safaricom Ethiopia has announced it will use locally produced telecom towers on its network buildout.

On the project, the telco partnered with Woda Metals, an Ethiopian company that manufactures power transmission towers, telecom towers, cables, galvanisation, and steel structures.

Safaricom Ethiopia got 13 of the 68 domestically produced telecom towers it bought from Woda, Ethiopia's first such manufacturer, on Friday.

"This is a historic moment for Safaricom in Ethiopia because we have begun to localise the manufacturing of our infrastructure," Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte stated.

Safaricom Ethiopia anticipates that the new towers will allow it to increase its network quality and user base, which now stands at 4.4 million.

"The quality of their towers is good; their galvanization plant is the biggest in East Africa and their cost-effectiveness will enable us to expand our network more efficiently and effectively," Vanhelleputte said.

As of December 31, 2023, Safaricom Ethiopia had launched 2,242 base stations (1,252 own-built and 990 collocated) in 33 cities, including major and medium towns.

This accounts for 33% of population coverage. Its current objective, according to the company's latest presentation of its full year 2023/2024 results, is to increase connectivity quality as it builds its network.

"We are happy to be the first local company to deliver telecom towers to Safaricom Ethiopia, " Woda Metal's CEO, Steven Cui, remarked.