Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy has officially granted 5G licenses to three major telecom operators: Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie, and Ooredoo Tunisia. This decision marks a significant milestone in the country’s digital transformation, with commercial 5G services set to launch in 2025.
The licenses were approved on Friday, following a six-month tender process that began in June. The three operators submitted their applications in September. Each license is valid for 15 years and includes 5 MHz of duplexed spectrum in the 700-MHz band and 100 MHz of TDD spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band for 5G use. The Ministry has also allocated three 20 MHz blocks available for operators upon request, with other frequency bands to be released in future phases.
Originally aiming for a commercial 5G launch by late 2024, Minister of Communication Technologies Sofiène Hmissi confirmed that the rollout will now begin in 2025. Despite the delay, Hmissi assured that the operators have already conducted extensive tests, pilot projects, and network upgrades in preparation for the deployment.
Tunisie Telecom CEO Lassâad Ben Dhiab stated that the company has been testing 5G technology since 2020 and has deployed more than 50,000 km of fiber infrastructure to support the 5G rollout. Ooredoo Tunisia, in collaboration with Nokia, has also upgraded its network RANs to be 5G-ready.
Tunisie Telecom plans to initially offer faster mobile broadband speeds for consumers, while also exploring enterprise applications such as VPN solutions, IoT, robotics, and connected vehicles. The government also envisions 5G as a catalyst for boosting Tunisia’s digital economy, attracting more businesses and investors to the country.
Furthermore, Hmissi highlighted that the Ministry aims to expand mobile network coverage in Tunisia from the current 96% to 100%, focusing particularly on landlocked and remote regions through more public-private partnership projects in the telecom space.
