Ethio Telecom formally unveiled teleStream, a fiber-delivered streaming platform that signals the company’s entry into full-scale digital media distribution.
The big picture
CEO Frehiwot Tamru framed the move as a pillar of the “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028” roadmap. The goal is to diversify revenue by blending three distinct sectors:
- Connectivity: High-speed fixed fiber.
- Fintech: Seamless integration with the telebirr mobile money ecosystem.
- Content: A library of 60+ live channels and 350+ on-demand titles.
Why it matters
The launch represents a structural shift for Ethiopia’s creative economy, moving away from high-cost satellite dependency toward a domestic, fiber-based digital infrastructure.
Between the lines: The “Satellite Exit”
For decades, Ethiopian broadcasters have relied on foreign satellite leases, often paid in scarce foreign currency.
- The teleStream fix: By hosting content locally on the company’s “telecloud” infrastructure, Ethio telecom aims to keep data—and dollars—inside the country.
- The tech: The service runs via a set-top box that turns any standard TV into a smart device, bypasses the need for satellite dishes, and utilizes a “zero-touch” digital provisioning system linked to national ID.
By the numbers
The infrastructure backing this pivot is already substantial:
- 14,413 km: Total metro fiber deployed to date.
- 1.2 million: Total network capacity (number of customers the system can support).
- 79,000+: Users already migrated from legacy copper to fiber.
- “Fiber to the Room”: A new deployment standard aimed at supporting AI and smart home integration with ultra-low latency.
The bottom line
Ethio telecom is following a proven continental playbook. Much like Safaricom in Kenya or MTN in South Africa, the operator is vertically integrating services to become an inescapable “platform orchestrator” in the daily lives of its subscribers.
