ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's state-run operator Ethio Telecom has announced a three-year development strategy to expand its subscriber base to 100 million by 2028.

While unveiling the "Next Horizon: Digital and Beyond 2028" roadmap on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Frehiwot Tamiru said the company's customer base is projected to reach 88 million by the end of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, which starts on July 8, representing a 6 percent year-on-year increase.

The number of mobile data and internet users is also expected to surpass 52.8 million by the end of the fiscal year.

The company also projected total revenue of 235.8 billion birr (about 1.66 billion U.S. dollars) for the fiscal year, up 45.6 percent from the previous year.

Ethio Telecom launched Ethiopia's flagship mobile money platform TeleBirr in May 2021 with support from Chinese technology giant Huawei.

As part of the company's strategy, the number of TeleBirr users is expected to reach 62.5 million by the end of the current fiscal year, with a transaction value of 4.43 trillion birr. By the end of the three-year strategic period, the platform's customer base is projected to surpass 75 million, with a total transaction volume of 21.3 trillion birr.

Meanwhile, the company announced "extensive plans" to expand and upgrade its mobile network, significantly increasing 4G and 5G service coverage across the East African country, which has a population of over 120 million.

As part of its ambition to provide modern telecom services to its users, Ethio Telecom has been partnering with Chinese technology companies, primarily Huawei and ZTE, to expand high-tech telecom facilities nationwide.

According to Tamiru, the three-year strategy envisaged a core objective of reinforcing the company's role as a catalyst for Ethiopia's digital transformation through delivering reliable communications, innovative digital solutions, business diversification, and seamless financial services. ■