Ethiopian Telecom & Huawei Launch GigaAu in North Africa

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – August 15, 2025: Ethio Telecom, in collaboration with Huawei, has achieved a major technological milestone by launching North Africa’s first GigaAAU FDD tri-band Massive MIMO site, a move expected to boost network performance, enhance user experience, and drive the region’s digital economy forward.

Data from the operator’s network shows strong results since the deployment. 4G traffic has surged by 70%, while average user network speeds have climbed 68%. This means customers now enjoy smoother video streaming, faster file downloads, and improved online gaming even during peak hours.

Huawei’s GigaAAU FDD tri-band Massive MIMO solution stands out for its 720W transmit power, the highest in the industry. It uses Real Wide Bandwidth and Compact Dipole technologies to combine three frequency bands — 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, and 2.6 GHz — into a single AAU. This allows a one-time tri-band deployment without adding extra antennas, saving installation space while increasing capacity.

The system also uses intelligent beam scheduling and beamforming to dynamically follow users and avoid interference, increasing per-user speeds by 20% to 30%. In addition, its “0 bit 0 watt” energy-saving mode cuts off-peak power consumption to nearly zero.

Globally, this technology has been tested and rolled out on over 20 networks, earning praise from telecom operators for its performance and efficiency.

Ethio Telecom has been working with Huawei for years on digital transformation projects. A previous milestone was the deployment of North Africa’s first FDD BladeAAU solution, which addressed capacity challenges caused by limited antenna installation space. This latest rollout further strengthens the company’s competitive position, giving Ethiopian users faster, more reliable digital services.

Industry experts say this achievement puts Ethiopia at the forefront of next-generation telecom innovation in Africa and could inspire similar deployments across the continent. As internet demand grows and digital economies expand, high-capacity solutions like the GigaAAU FDD tri-band Massive MIMO are expected to play a central role in meeting Africa’s connectivity goals.