Ethiopia’s national telecommunications operator Ethio telecom reported a sharp increase in annual earnings on Thursday as mobile data and internet services overtook traditional voice calls as its largest source of revenue, marking a historic shift in the company’s business model and highlighting the country’s accelerating digital adoption.
Presenting Ethio telecom’s 2025/26 annual business performance report at the Ethiopian Science Museum in Addis Ababa, Chief Executive Officer Frehiwot Tamru said the operator generated 215.82 billion birr in revenue during the fiscal year ended June, up 33.2% from the previous year, while EBITDA rose 51.9% to 38.7 billion birr and operating profit increased 47.5% to 30 billion birr.
According to Frehiwot, data and internet services accounted for 31.1% of total revenue, surpassing mobile voice services, which contributed 23.5%, a milestone that reflects a fundamental change in customer behaviour after voice had remained the company’s leading source of income for more than a century. The company said the crossover demonstrates growing digital adoption across Ethiopia as consumers increasingly use mobile broadband, digital platforms and enterprise services.
