Ethio Telecom (stylised as ethio telecom; Amharic: ኢትዮ ቴሌኮም), previously known as the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ቴሌኮሙኒኬሽን ኮርፖሬሽን, ETC), is an Ethiopian telecommunication company serving as the major internet, telephone and digital services provider. Ethio Telecom, owned by the Ethiopian government, historically held a monopoly over telecommunication services in Ethiopia. However, with the recent liberalization of the market, Safaricom has entered the Ethiopian market, marking a significant shift in the competitive landscape while Ethio Telecom remains a major player. Based in Addis Ababa, it is one of the "Big-5" group of state owned corporations in Ethiopia, along with Ethiopian Airlines, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, and the Ethiopian Shipping Lines.

Ethio telecom was managed, on a management contract arrangement from 2010 to 2013, by France Télécom, and was required to comply with Ethiopian government orders. The government said it outsourced the management as ETC was not able to meet the demands of the fast-growing country. It also said that telecommunications services would not be privatized, at least not in the near future. Ethio telecom generates a revenue of over US$2.1 billion for the Ethiopian government, and was dubbed a "cash cow" by the previous Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Originally a division of the Ministry of Post, Telephone and Telegraph, what would become the ETC was established as the Imperial Board of Telecommunications of Ethiopia (IBTE) by proclamation No. 131/52 in 1952. Under the Derg regime, the IBTE was reorganized as the Ethiopian telecommunications service in October 1975, which was in turn reorganized in January 1981 as the Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority. In November 1996, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority became ETC by Council of Ministers regulation No. 10/1996. The subsequent Proclamation 49/1996 expanded the ETC's duties and responsibilities. For its international traffic links and communication services, ETC mainly uses its earth station at Sululta which transmits and receives to both the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean satellites. Engineering consulting firm Arup, were involved in the design and engineering of the early tower structures (during the 1970s).

In late 2006, the ETC signed an agreement worth US$1.5 billion with three Chinese companies, ZTE Corporation, Huawei Technologies and the Chinese International Telecommunication Construction Corporation, to upgrade and expand Ethiopian telecommunications services. This agreement will increase the number of mobile services from 1.5 million to 7 million, land line telephone services from 1 million to 4 million, and expansion of the fibre optic network, from the present 4,000 kilometers to 10,000 by 2010. It is part of a larger US$2.4 billion plan by the Ethiopian government to improve the country's telecommunications infrastructure. In 2018, the mobile service business has reached 85% of the country. In February 2018, it was reported that Ethio telecom had 64.4 million subscribers making it the largest telecommunication services operator in the continent. In August 2019, the company announced that it will install 4G network before other telecom companies enter the Ethiopian market since the government decided that it will liberalize the telecom sector.

Frehiwot Tamiru is serving as the current chief executive officer since 25 July 2018 replaced Andualem Admassie who served five years. Frehiwot previously worked as Deputy CEO for Internal Support Service for then Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation. She told Capital that she managed all surveillance quality protocols.

By 26 August 2020, Ethio telecom planned to extended 842 new infrastructure site during 2020 fiscal year. This infrastructure expected to enable the company to host additional 5.2 million new customers. During this fiscal year, the company planned to generate 55.5 billion birr in revenue, a 16pc growth from the last fiscal year. It also plans to boost the country's telecom density to 51.3%. At the end of financial year 2021/22 it generated a revenue of 61.3 billion birr and boosted the country's telecom density to 63.3% after total subscribers reached 66.59 million.

In May 2021, Ethio telecom launched Telebirr, a mobile service platform. Frehiwot said 21.8 million users signed up with this service, making total transaction of 30.3 billion birr. On 10 May 2022, Ethio telecom commenced 5G network for pre-commercial sale in partnership of Huawei Technologies after several months upgrading the predecessor 4G network. In October 2024, Ethio telecom announced to sell its 10% stakes to citizens after formalization of transition to share company on 21 June 2024. The CEO of Ethio telecom Frehiwot Tamiru explained that buyers can purchase up to 3,333 shares with maximum amount of total investment of 990,000 birr. She noted that such purchase would incur taxes and service fees.

Ethio Telecom's national network infrastructure consists of 10,000 plus mobile towers providing geographical coverage to 86.5% of the country. The company 4G/LTE service has reached 70.8% of the population and its 5G service is available in 26 cities in by June 2025. While network availability has expanded significantly, a prominent "usage gap" persists, as highlighted by industry analysis from the GSMA. The GSMA reports that only 26% of the population covered by mobile broadband are active users. Primary barriers include low penetration of smart phones, lack of digital skills, and limited access to critical infrastructure, particularly electricity.