Abu Dhabi – Mubasher: It was reportedly announced that Emirates Telecommunications Group (Etisalat), listed on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), is likely to be among a number of contenders aiming to foray into the Ethiopian market.

The Emirati telecom company is among the leading competitors along with Vodafone, South African operator MTN, and France’s Orange seeking to win telecom licences from Ethiopia.

“We have announced the market structure as ‘two plus one’,” Ethiopia’s finance minister Eyob Tekalign Tolina told Reuters.

The Ethiopian government will also offer in a bid a minority stake in the country’s monopoly operator Ethio Telecom.

Under the two plus one, the bid winner will be awarded two new licences and a 49% stake in Ethio Telecom.

The winning companies are expected to commence operations next year, initially using Ethio Telecom’s infrastructure to run their networks, according to the London-based news agency.