Tunisia's leading mobile operators—Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie, and Ooredoo Tunisia—have officially submitted their applications for 5G licenses, with approvals expected in the next three weeks.
The Ministry of Communication Technologies has established a technical committee to review each applicant's technical capabilities and financials before granting licenses. Each 15-year license will provide 5 MHz of spectrum in the 700-MHz band and 100 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band for 5G usage, with additional 20 MHz blocks available upon request. Further 5G frequency bands will be introduced in later phases.
The ministry initiated the 5G tender process in June, aiming to launch commercial 5G services by November. While Tunisian operators like Ooredoo have already upgraded their networks for 5G readiness, widespread adoption may be gradual. A significant challenge lies in device compatibility: although Tunisia has over 9 million smartphone users (73% of the mobile market), only 652,000 devices are 5G-compatible, potentially limiting the initial uptake of 5G services.
