Ethio Telecom and Huawei have completed the commercial deployment of the first batch of a Solar-on-Tower solution in Addis Ababa. The sites began stable operation in late August 2025. The system mounts photovoltaic panels directly on telecom towers to generate on-site solar power and cut diesel use.
Deployment and timeline
Huawei and Ethio Telecom announced the first commercial installations on 25 August 2025. Ethio Telecom’s initial sites were made operational within two days of installation. The deployment responds to severe space constraints in Addis Ababa, where ground-mounted arrays are often impractical.
Technical outcomes reported so far
Field data from the first batch show that the Solar-on-Tower sites can run on solar power for up to four hours per day. Diesel generator runtime at those sites fell from about six hours to roughly two hours daily, which Huawei reports as a 40 per cent reduction in fuel consumption per site. The vendor says the approach is scalable for thousands of space-constrained urban sites.
Context within Ethio Telecom’s wider energy work
Ethio Telecom told investors and the press that it installed 141 solar power systems in the 2024–25 fiscal year as part of broader efforts to strengthen network reliability and reduce operating cost and carbon intensity. The Solar-on-Tower rollout follows that programme and complements ground-based solar and generator deployments across the network.
Why this matters
The solution tackles a specific obstacle for urban networks: limited land. By integrating panels onto existing tower structures, operators avoid securing additional real estate. That lowers capital and permitting barriers and reduces diesel dependence where grids are unreliable. For Ethio Telecom, the initiative fits national goals to green infrastructure and to improve service resilience in a market with frequent power constraints.
Caveats and what remains to be seen
The announcements cover the first batch of sites and short-term operational figures. Wider roll-out economics, long-term maintenance needs, battery sizing, and total lifecycle carbon savings will require independent measurement as the programme scales. Multiple news outlets have reported the vendor and operator figures; primary confirmation comes from Huawei’s statement and Ethio Telecom’s recent performance reports.
