Safaricom announces a milestone of 5 million customers in Ethiopia, making significant strides towards their goal of 10 million by next March. However, a stiff competition lies ahead as they trail the market leader, Ethio Telecom, by a considerable margin. Safaricom breaks into the Ethiopian market as the first private player, with significant growth potential and challenges on the horizon. They are poised to disrupt Ethio Telecom’s monopoly with the introduction of M-Pesa, keenly eyeing financial inclusion. Amid anticipation of new competitors, Safaricom’s persistent efforts and ambitions could potentially shake up the Ethiopian telecom market.