The Council of Ministers has approved a proclamation drafted for the establishment of a telecom regulatory agency. The bill was approved by the Council of Ministers and passed the parliament last Monday, February 4, 2019. Tabled by the Ministry of Finance, the bill enables the Agency to set telecom tariffs and licenses and regulates telecom service providers. The new agency will be replacing the Standardization & Regulation Directorate that has been operating under the former Ministry of Communication & Information Technology. In early June of last year, the Executive Committee of the ruling EPRDF unanimously voted to partially privatise some of the most profitable state enterprises, including Ethio telecom, with the government retaining majority stakes.