Ethiopia’s state-owned Ethio Telecom and ZTE have implemented an FTTR (fibre to the room) all-optical network at the office building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydropower project. The network provides gigabit fibre coverage throughout office areas, meeting rooms, and recreational spaces, supporting data, voice, printing, and security monitoring on a unified architecture.
The tailored FTTR-B solution overcomes Ethernet limitations like slow speeds and high costs, reducing deployment expenses by 25%. Integrated with ZTE’s Zenic One cloud management platform, the network enhances maintenance efficiency by 30% through automated fault detection, remote troubleshooting, and topology visualization.
Ethio Telecom and ZTE plan to expand FTTR deployments nationwide to support Ethiopia’s digital transformation in major projects. The GERD, nearing completion at 98.66%, is set to deliver over 5,000MW of power, despite regional tensions over its impact on downstream water resources.
