The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), the country's only internet service provider, has announced it started providing broadband internet service as of March 13.

According to an ETC news release on Sunday, the corporation has transformed the narrowband service, which has so far been in, to a broadband internet service.

The project, which was launched six months ago, has cost some 7million birr (about 800,000 US dollars), the news release said.

The previous service was inefficient and it was serving not more than 15,000 clients, it said, adding that the broadband internet service can provide quality and efficient service to some 100,000 customers.

The news release said the corporation has worked out low price tariff to attract more customers and that the existing post-payment customers would be linked to the new pre-payment service to enable them get high quality services.

It also said the broadband internet service would enable watch live or recorded transmissions of television and radio programs, educational media transmissions, and attend exhibitions, meetings and forums apart from video and other services.