Safaricom Ethiopia Plc has expanded its large-scale pilot launch of its network to the Oromia Regional State, beginning with Haromaya town. The operator has availed subscriber identity module (SIM) cards on its network, which uses the '07' prefix, in the town. The SIM cards come with data, voice and SMS services. The company is also offering customer care services in five languages, including Afaan Oromo and English. Safaricom executives plan to run the pilot for one month and expand services to 25 urban areas by April next year. The company launched its pilot in Dire Dawa town a few weeks ago. It was a long time coming as Safaricom Ethiopia faced delays due to drawn-out negotiations with the state-owned Ethio telecom over an infrastructure sharing deal. Last week, the International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank Group, announced plans to acquire shares valued at 160 million dollars in Safaricom Ethiopia Plc.