The CEO of state-owned telecom giant ethio telecom says her office will do the “necessary work” to push for the end of social media restrictions, acknowledging the decision still is beyond her control.
Frehiwot Tamiru told Parliament the social media curbs create “disappointing experiences” for ethio telecom’s customers and argued the operator would work to resolve the issue.
“We want to provide a better experience for our customers,” says Frehiwot, adding the current restrictions are having the opposite effect.
The telecom’s mobile money platform, telebirr, is widely used for automating transactions for fuel and other goods. However, the platform does not function on devices connected to VPNs.
“We recognize that VPN usage is inhibiting telebirr’s performance,” Firehiwot acknowledged.
The state-owned telecom giant generated revenue of 52.7 billion birr during the first nine months of the current fiscal year as well as USD 103 million in foreign exchange revenue, Frehiwot told lawmakers.
Subscribers to its mobile money platform, telebirr, reached 30.5 million since it began operations two years ago, transacting close to 395 billion birr in value, she said.
theReporter
