ETC
undertaking expansion project with over 250mln birr in eastern Ethiopia
Harar, December 26,2005 (WIC)- The Ethiopian Telecommunications
Corporation has reportedly started expansion and cable installation works
project at a cost of over 250 million birr with a view to enabling 47 towns in
eastern Ethiopia get modern telecommunications services.
Eastern Region Manager with the Corporation, Wondawik Abeze told WIC over the weekend that the project has been underway in rural towns of Oromia, Somali and Harari states as well as the Diredawa town Provisional Administration since the beginning of this month.
The project will enable 33 towns under the Diredawa, Harar, Jijjiga and Asbeteferi branches to secure digital automatic services, he said.
According to the Manager, installation of new equipment and optical fiber cables would also be undertaken to provide mobile phone services to 35,000 customers and expand fixed phone services in 14 towns.
Upon completion of the project at the end of the current fiscal year, the number of mobile and fixed phones users in each town would reach 50,000, while the number of towns with digital automatic phone services would increase to 64, he added.
He further stated that upgrading works will also enable the towns to get better Internet services.
Besides 825 rural kebeles would have access to telephone services and new phone boxes would be installed in many towns,the manager stated.
