The news:
- Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies has invited telcos to submit bids for licenses to install and operate a public telecommunications network to provide a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecommunications network in the country.
- This call is part of the government’s broader digital technology strategy to enhance the national digital infrastructure and expand broadband coverage nationwide.
- The ministry made the call in a press release on Sunday, June 30, 2024.
Interested operators are to submit their bids to the central registry of the Ministry of Communication Technologies by 2 p.m. WAT on September 2, 2024. The ministry noted that the opening of bids will be public.
At the close submission, a general session will be assembled by 3 p.m. WAT on September 2, 2024, for the public opening of the proposals, which will comprise the administrative, financial, technical and economic files. All bidders will also be invited to attend.
Telecom operators interested in participating in the licensing process must first register by submitting some documents, including a receipt for a non-refundable amount of 5000 TND (~$1,609) to the country’s treasury.
This tender follows the government’s approval of the 5G launch roadmap on June 13, which plans to allocate 5 MHz duplex in the 700 MHz band and 100 MHz (TDD) in the 3.5 GHz band to each Tunisian telecom operator.
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Also, three blocks of 20 MHz will be available upon requests by operators, with additional 5G frequency bands, which will be announced in later deployment phases.
The telecom license will be valid for 15 years for an undisclosed cost.
Currently, Tunisia boasts three public mobile telecommunications network operators (2G, 3G, 4G): Tunisie Télecom, Ooreedo Tunisie, and Orange Tunisie.
The country also counts two mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and several Internet service providers such as Orange Tunisie Internet, GlobalNet, Hexabyte, Bee, Nety, Next Step, Topnet and the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI).
According to the figures by the National Telecommunications Authority on February 29, 2024, the current number of mobile phone subscribers is 16,258,517. For the overall number of registered mobile internet customers, the figure stands at 11,583,616.
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The government has set up a dedicated committee at the Ministry of Communication Technologies to oversee the preparatory stages of the provision of 5G mobile communications services in Tunisia.
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