ETC launches GPRS service (Ethiopia)

The Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) has reportedly launched its GPRS services across the nation enabling the subscribers to receive as well as send text, visual, and audio-video massages from the Internet using GPRS Enabled Mobile Apparatus.
Subscribers can read, view, and hear messages from the internet using their GPRS enabled mobile apparatus as well as send or download required message from websites using the GPRS technology, Corporate Communication Main Section Manager with the Corporation, Abdurahim Ahmed said.
The new technology enables subscribers to obtain e-mail service through their GPRS enabled mobile apparatus, he said, however, access to GPRS is limited to postpaid mobile subscribers for the time being. The corporation envisages providing similar service to prepaid mobile subscribers in the future.
The charges applied by the operator will be based on the amount of kilobyte a subscriber sends (up-links) or receives (down-links) from the Internet, he said, adding every postpaid mobile subscriber will be charged one cent/kilobyte excluding registration fee of 45 Birr.

Moreover, he said, GPRS subscribers can determine the location of their vehicle(s) after connecting their GPRS enabled mobile apparatus with another technology of Global Positioning System (GPS).