Telebirr’s Rapid Uptake Signals Ethio Telecom’s Digital Shift Despite Modest Revenue Share
BaseLine Team
24 Jul, 2025
Ethio Telecom’s mobile money platform, Telebirr, has emerged as a key engine of growth, processing 2.38 trillion birr in transactions last fiscal year. Despite its success, Telebirr still accounts for just 2.7% of Ethio Telecom’s total revenue.
However, its rapid uptake reflects the company’s shift from traditional telecom services to broader digital financial solutions.
Telebirr now has 54.8 million registered users. Of its annual transaction volume, 1.66 trillion birr were private transactions, while the platform handled 1.06 trillion birr in transfers and 14.42 billion birr in remittances. Since its launch in August 2022, Telebirr has disbursed 25 billion birr in loans to 11 million customers through partnerships with Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Sinqee Bank, and Dashen Bank. Its Micro Saving feature has attracted 1.77 million users, who have saved a combined 11.24 billion birr.
The state-owned operator posted a record annual revenue of 162 billion birr for 2024/25, a 73% increase from the previous year. CEO Frehiwot Tamiru presented the results at the Science Museum in Addis Ababa, showing the impact of the now-concluded LEAD Growth Strategy, which has added 100 billion birr in cumulative revenue since its launch.
Ethio Telecom’s gross profit reached 76 billion birr, up 84% from last year. The company also surpassed its subscriber target, hitting 83.2 million customers (100.2% of its goal) with 86.1 million connected devices, 41% of which are smartphones.
The company’s income from voice services also dropped to 28.5% from from 50% previously. Mobile data accounts for 22.7% and international voice contributes 12.9%.. Frehiwot acknowledged that Ethio Telecom faces ongoing operational threats such as fraud, frequent power outages, and regional security issues that disrupt services and slow network expansion. The company plans to counter these challenges through infrastructure investment, stronger partnerships, and better monitoring systems.
With the LEAD strategy complete, Ethio Telecom is expected to unveil a new roadmap to maintain its momentum, defend its market share, and navigate rising competition as Ethiopia’s telecom sector prepares for deeper liberalization.
