The legal framework on standards does not allow for self-certification for radio transmission, electromagnetic interference (EMI) or electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) through a Supplier Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) for both domestic and foreign business. However, Article 23.5 of the Communications Proclamation No. 1148/2019 states that the Authority may conduct a stakeholder consultation to permit the importation and use of radiocommunication and telecommunications equipment that has been approved by internationally recognised testing bodies that the Authority may designate by a Directive.

According to Art. 41 of the Electronic Transaction Proclamation, e-commerce operators are regarded as one form of commercial entity. Hence, the laws that regulate other commercial activities apply, including the Commercial Code, which requires a licence to operate.

It is reported that importers face difficulty in obtaining foreign exchange, particularly those that import goods for domestic sale. The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) administers a strict foreign currency regulatory regime. Furthermore, while larger firms, state-owned enterprises, and manufacturing industries are reported to have not faced major problems in obtaining foreign exchange, the remaining firms face burdensome delays in arranging trade-related payments. An importer must apply for an import permit and obtain a letter of credit for the total value of the imports before an order can be placed.

It is reported that the national standards for payment security deviate from international standards as there is no clearly prescribed standard that financial institutions need to apply. The laws that regulate the banking or payment systems in Ethiopia do not refer to international standards such as ISO/IEC, EMV, payment tokens or 3D Secure. Furthermore, neither the National Digital Payment Strategy nor the Revised Bank Risk Management Guideline of the National Bank of Ethiopia explicitly states that the above-mentioned international standards are applied locally.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 25, below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

"The Computer Crime Proclamation No. 958/2016, and the Electronic Transaction Proclamation 1205/2020 establish a safe harbour regime for intermediaries beyond copyright infringements. According to Art. 16 of the Computer Crime Proclamation, intermediaries are shielded from liability unless they are directly involved in disseminating or editing criminal content data, or fail to take necessary measures to remove or disable access to illegal content data upon becoming aware of its existence. Additionally, Art. 23 of the Electronic Transaction Proclamation specifies that intermediaries cannot be held liable for transmitted information provided they do not monitor online communication, initiate transmissions, select receivers, or modify transmitted information.
Furthermore, Art. 24 absolves intermediaries from liability for the temporary storage of electronic records if such storage aims to facilitate efficient transmission of electronic messages to recipients who requested them. Moreover, Art. 25 extends protection to hosting service providers, relieving them of liability for damages resulting from stored information if they are unaware of any harm or take immediate action upon becoming aware of it.

Art. 51 of the Communication Services Proclamation orders telecommunications operators to register all SIM cards and to establish a National Subscriber Registry containing subscriber information, as the Authority may request them for different purposes, including national security.
According to Art. 7 of Directive No. 799/2021 on SIM card registration, all new SIM card users must be identified and registered in the official database of their telecommunications provider. Users are required to provide their full name, driver's license or passport, nationality, date of birth, gender, physical address, postal address, a recent photograph, and any available biometric data. Additionally, an identification card of the person procuring the service must be submitted.

It has been reported that the government periodically blocks social media sites. The government restricted access to prominent social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube from 9 February 2023 until 20 July 2023. In November 2021, the government also restricted access to major social media platforms, targeting Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger. Furthermore, it has been reported that Ethiopia has a nationwide internet blocking and filtering system that can be deployed at any time for political reasons. To filter the internet, authorities generally block specific internet protocol (IP) addresses or domain names at the level of the connection to the international gateway. Additionally, deep packet inspection (DPI) is employed, enabling blocking based on a keyword in the content of a website or of a communication such as an email message.

It is reported that the Ethiopian government imposed a communications blackout on the Tigray region between November 2020 and July 2021 as Ethiopian and Tigrayan security forces fought. In addition, authorities have reportedly restricted mobile data access in various major cities within the Amhara Region, including Gondar, Bahir Dar, and Woldia, starting from April 2023. Mobile data remained unavailable in these cities as of May 2023. Subsequently, in August 2023, after the reporting period had ended, authorities blocked internet access in the Amhara Region.
Additionally, the indicator "6.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 2 in Ethiopia for the year 2023. This corresponds to "The government shut down domestic access to the Internet several times this year."

It is reported that Ethiopia does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there is an obligation of accounting separation.

The Ethiopian Communication Authority is mandated to limit the number and pre-conditions of new licenses to be given for investors based on Art. 6.7 and 19.2 of the Communications Service Proclamation No. 1148/2019. In other words, investors can only apply to be given a license when the government announces a call for bids. Based on these provisions, the government has only given out one license to a foreign investor so far. In June 2021, the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) licensed the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (Safaricom) as the country’s second telecommunications provider even though it has not started its operations yet. Hence, the only telecom service provider in Ethiopia now is the government owned Ethio-telecom which has a monopoly of the market. The detailed procedures for getting a license are laid out in the Telecommunication Licensing Directive No. 792/2021.

Ethiopia has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

According to Art. 12.7 of Directive No. ONPS/02/2020, point of sale machine operators are not allowed to send domestic payment information outside Ethiopia for the purpose of authorisation, clearing and settlement. They can only send payment data made through the international card scheme to the financial institution or national switch. Similarly, automated teller machine operators cannot send any transaction outside Ethiopia for the purpose of processing, authorisation and switching (Art. 11.1).

Section 16.6 of Directive No. 832/2021 mandates that the processing of consumers' personal data in the realm of telecommunications services must be confined to servers or data centres located within Ethiopia.