Ethio Telecom, in partnership with Huawei, has completed the commercial deployment of Africa’s first Solar-on-Tower solution, marking a major step in Ethiopia’s transition toward greener telecommunications infrastructure.
The innovation integrates photovoltaic panels directly onto telecom towers, addressing land and space constraints in urban areas like Addis Ababa. Ethio Telecom reported that the first batch of sites was operational within two days, enabling towers to generate and consume their own solar power.
Early results show the solution can sustain operations for up to four hours solely on solar energy, cutting diesel generator use from six hours to two hours daily. This equates to a 40% reduction in fuel consumption per site, significantly lowering carbon emissions while reducing operational costs.
The deployment sets a new benchmark for renewable energy adoption in African telecom networks and provides a scalable model for thousands of space-limited sites across Ethiopia. Ethio Telecom stressed that the initiative aligns with its broader green strategy to embed sustainability into ICT infrastructure.
Moving forward, Ethio Telecom and Huawei plan to expand Solar-on-Tower installations nationwide, strengthen ICT energy infrastructure, and accelerate Africa’s transition to low-carbon telecommunications operations.
