1. Background information
Ethio telecom is the leading
telecommunications provider in Ethiopia, established to promote nationwide
connectivity. It plays a crucial role in advancing the country’s digital
transformation by offering a diverse array of services, including mobile, broadband
internet, enterprise solutions, and financial services through digital
platforms. Ethio telecom aims to be a world-class operator, improving the lives
of Ethiopians through technology. Serving millions of customers, it is
dedicated to innovation and digital advancement, significantly contributing to
connectivity and digital inclusion throughout the nation.
telebirr is Ethio telecom’s flagship mobile money platform
launched in 2021. It is designed to empower financial inclusion by offering
easy, fast, convenient, and secure platform for accessible financial services
to all Ethiopians. telebirr enables users to send and receive money, make
different payments, receive remittance, etc. telebirr is interoperability with
banks & MFIs and other systems to build a robust digital ecosystem in our
country.
telebirr SuperApp is a comprehensive digital platform that
enables customers to access different services at one place. Currently, there
are many apps that are integrated with telebirr SuperApp to provide different
services.
In line with its continuous effort to provide the best
service for customers, Ethio telecom is launching a game center in telebirr
SuperApp that provide an opportunity to avail and sell their gams to telebirr
customers.
Hence, Ethio telecom wants to invite potential digital game
providers to submit their technical and commercial proposals. The main
objective of the RFP is to call upon prospective partners who are interested in
working with Ethio telecom on a revenue-sharing basis based on the contractual
agreement set.
2. Project Objectives
The main objective of this RFP is to solicit
proposals from experienced and qualified firms select and integrate competent
games in telebirr SuperApp game center that will:
o Allow customers to have access for different
type of games
o Increase telebirr SuperApp customer engagement
& retention
o Build partnership
o Boost revenue for stakeholders
3. Scope of Work
The scope of this Request for Proposal includes:
§ Providing games on telebirr SuperApp Game Center
§ The game should be:
o Engaging
o Visually appealing graphics and art,
o Intuitive user interface and controls,
o Having clear instructions and tutorials,
o Optimized for various mobile devices and screen
sizes,
o Capable of providing good user experience
§ The types of games include
o Educational games
o Racing games
o Action Games
o Role playing games
o Casual games
o Simulation games
o Adventure games
o Singl or multi-player games
o eSports
o Memory Games
o Word puzzles
o Sorting quizzes
o Other types of ethical games
§ telebirr shall be the only payment option
§ The games can be played by single or multiple
players
§ Targeted game center channel is telebirr
SuperApp
§ This Request for Proposals does not commit Ethio
telecom to award a contract, or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of
a proposal.
§ Ethio telecom reserves the right to accept or
reject any or all proposals received because of this request, to negotiate with
all qualified partners, or to cancel this Request for Proposals if it is in the
best interests of Ethio telecom to do so.
4. Project Requirements
4.1. Business and operational
requirements
Interested game providers shall fulfill and
provide the following engagement requirements when submitting their response
proposal:
§ Renewed or new trade license and commercial
registration.
§ Related work experience (optional).
§ Partner shall be required to allow Ethio telecom
to have information exchange with the reference customer, if necessary.
§ API integration capability and flexibility.
§ Game shall be in line with:
o Ethio
telecom brand and image
o Health
guidelines of the country
o Rules
and regulations of the country
§ Games shall not:
o Having toxicity, bullying and harassment
contents
o Include contents that may cause Mental Health
Issues
o Promote illegal social movements
o Negatively impact lifestyles and physical health
o Contains contents that may clash with religious
or freedom of political convictions.
o Violate equality and rights of nation,
nationalities and people’s identity • Contravenes with people’s security, peace,
health, education `or people’s morals
o Encourages hatred, violence or discrimination
o Promote violence, hate and exploitation
o Be nudity and sexual activity
o Promote suicide, self-injury or eating disorders
o Promote or sell restricted items
o Be scams or fraud
o Betting related games
o Bitcoin or cryptocurrency-related games
The game
provider shall have:
o Proven knowledge in game and game-related
contents.
o Ability to integrate the game with Ethio telecom
or telebirr’s system.
o Professional staff required for game and related
works including the ability to plan and manage the game provisioning
implementation.
o For premium games, international telecom
operators' recommendation letter (experience letter).
4.2. Integration Requirements
Potential game providers shall comply with the
following integration requirements:
|
Domain |
Detail Requirement Description |
Remarks |
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|
API |
The H5 games provided
by game providers shall be compatible with telebirr SuperApp and must be able
to run on the Game Center. |
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API |
Native app games
provided by the game provider shall either be redeveloped using telebirr
SuperApp’s Macle MiniApp framework to run inside the SuperApp, or the partner
shall integrate the APIs provided by telebirr SuperApp to enable the games to
be triggered directly from the device. |
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|
API |
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|
API |
Game providers shall
have a staging environment for testing. |
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4.3. Security Requirements
Potential game providers shall comply with the
following security requirements:
Ethio Telecom requires that all game providers
integrating into the telebirr SuperApp Game Center ensure the security,
privacy, and compliance of their applications and services. Partner must
respond to each requirement and provide supporting documentation.
|
Regulatory and
Compliance |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP1.1 |
The provider must
comply with Ethiopian National Data Protection Proclamation and applicable
NBE directives. |
|
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|
GP1.2 |
The provider must
accept periodic security and compliance audits by Ethio Telecom. |
|
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Secure Game
Application Development |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP2.1 |
Games must be
developed following Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) practices. |
|
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|
GP2.2 |
Games must not contain
malware, spyware, hidden data collection, or backdoors. |
|
|
|
Data Protection and
User Privacy |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP3.1 |
Providers must ensure
all user data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3 or higher). |
|
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|
GP3.2 |
Games must not store
sensitive payment data (PIN, CVV, full card details). |
|
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GP3.3 |
Providers must comply
with Ethio Telecom’s privacy policy and obtain explicit user consent for data
collection. |
|
|
|
GP3.4 |
Providers must
implement parental controls and age-appropriate content classification. |
|
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|
Integration and API
Security |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP4.1 |
All integrations with
telebirr APIs must use secure authentication (OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect). |
|
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GP4.2 |
Providers must not
expose unnecessary APIs or services to the public. |
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Financial Transaction
Security |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP5.1 |
All transactions must
be processed via telebirr secure payment APIs only. |
|
|
|
Infrastructure and
Hosting Security |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP6.1 |
For games hosted on a partner
environment must comply to secure hosting environment (on premises, local or
international cloud with proper certifications). |
|
|
|
GP6.2 |
Providers must
implement regular patching, vulnerability scans, and malware protection. |
|
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GP6.3 |
Providers must enforce
DDoS protection and secure configuration of their hosting environment. |
|
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Logging, Monitoring,
and Incident Management |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP7.1 |
Providers must log all
security and transaction events for audit purposes. |
|
|
|
GP7.2 |
Providers must have a
defined incident response plan and notify Ethio Telecom of security incidents
within 24 hours. |
|
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|
GP7.3 |
Logs must be
tamper-resistant and retained as per Ethio Telecom policy. |
|
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|
User Protection and
Content Security |
|||
|
Requirement |
Description |
Vendor Response (Y/N) |
Remark |
|
GP8.1 |
Games must not include
harmful, illegal, or culturally inappropriate content. |
|
|
|
GP8.2 |
Games must clearly
disclose permissions requested (camera, microphone, storage, etc.). |
|
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GP8.3 |
Providers must offer
parental/guardian controls where relevant. |
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5. Confidentiality and Public Disclosure
§ Partners shall treat all information obtained
from Ethio telecom that is not generally available to the public as
confidential and/or proprietary to Ethio telecom.
§ Partners shall exercise all reasonable
precautions to prevent any information derived from the partnership from being
disclosed to any other person.
§ Ethio telecom will keep the confidentiality of
the documents and will not expose competitive information to a third party.
§ If required, Ethio telecom is subject to state
and local public disclosure laws and, in such, it is legally obligated to
disclose to the public documents, including proposals, to the extent required
by law.
6. Proposal Administration
§ Proposal submission
o Potential partners can submit their proposal starting from October 20, 2025
o Please use the RFP template provided below for
your side responses.
o All proposals must be
submitted in hard copy to Ethio Telecom, Melaka Tower Building, Churchill Road,
seventh floor, and Telebirrgamecenter@ethiotelecom.et
o Moreover, they shall comply with the following
requirements during the preparation of the Proposal:
· The proposal and all associated correspondence
shall be written in English. Any interlineations, erasures, or overwriting
shall be valid only if they are initialed by the authorized person signing on
the Proposal.
· Proposals and any other related documents
prepared in response to this RFP will not be considered unless they are filed
at the correct address.
§ Proposal Review and Discussion.
o Ethio telecom will go
into discussion with each applicant regarding the business model, engagement
approach, price, or any other term of their proposals, and contractual terms,
at any time before execution of a final contract.
RFP Template
The proposals submitted in response to this RFP
must include a cover letter signed by the person who authorized a proposal on
behalf of the company.
The proposal should also include:
§ A cover letter that summarizes the response,
includes areas to which response is made, and indicates if supporting
documentation is included in your response.
§ The RFP shall be prepared shall address the
following parts but not limited to:
A. General Information
§ Brief introduction of the company.
§ Overview of the proposed Game.
§ Expected impact and benefits for telebirr and its customers
§ Parent company:
o Business Name, address, telephone number, website,
o A primary contact, including name, job title, address, telephone,
and email address.
§ Local representative
o Authorization letter
o Agent information
§ Business license and taxpayer identification/payer certification
B. Company Profile
o Legal name, address, and registration details.
o Core business and experience in similar services.
o Key stakeholders and relevant partnerships.
C. Proposed Game Service
o Service Name & Description: Explanation of
the game.
o Customer journey from account set up to
subscription, payment and usage.
o Target Audience: (Age, gender, …)
o Value Proposition: How the service benefits your
company, telebirr users and telebirr.
D. Pricing and its strategy
o Pricing Structure: Subscription-based (Daily,
Weekly and Monthly), pay-per-use (on demand) etc.
o Trial period: Describe the trial options if
applicable.
o Awards and gifts if applicable.
o Projected Financials: Expected revenue and
transaction volumes
E. Technical Integration
o Channel readiness: Current state of the
application or website, including readiness for integration.
o Capability of integrating with telebirr SuperApp
game center with the requested integration approach.
o System Requirements & security requirements
o Support & Maintenance
F. Marketing & User Acquisition Plan
o Promotion Strategies: How the game will be
promoted.
o Customer Support Plan: Handling user inquiries
and complaints.
o Partnership Expectations: Any support needed
from Ethio telecom.
G. Legal & Compliance Considerations
o Legal Documentation: The partner shall submit
the following legal documents:
§ Required business License to perform the service
§ Renewed Trade License
§ Commercial Registration Certificate
§ VAT Certificate (if applicable)
§ INSA Security Authorization Letter/Certificate
§ TIN Certificate
H. Conclusion
o Summary of key points.
o Request for approval and next steps.
Documents
ETHIO TELECOM
Telecommunication
ethiotelecom.et
Ethio telecom, previously known as the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation, is an Ethiopian telecommunication company serving as the major internet and telephone service provider. Ethio telecom is owned by the Ethiopian government and maintains a monopoly over all telecommunication services in Ethiopia.