Minister of post and telecommunications, Karim Bibi Triki, announced that Algeria aims to launch 5G mobile networks “soon” and is currently addressing how to free up and optimize the needed radio frequency spectrum.
As the minister noted, the 5G initiative had not previously been prioritized by the government due to the urgent need to improve service coverage in some parts of Algeria, but he suggested that commercial 5G could launch by the end of 2022.
With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting Algerian operators since 2020, all of the country's operators have strengthened their networks in order to meet the increased online traffic demands, resulting in the deployment of “5G-ready” technology.
State-owned operator Mobilis has begun testing 5G and developing a 5G-ready infrastructure in partnership with Huawei, while rival operators Djezzy and Ooredoo are establishing their own partnerships with Nokia and Ericsson.
Furthermore, Algeria has 200,000km of fiber optic cable that will facilitate the introduction of 5G. To plan their future investments, Algerian operators requested clarification of the government's 5G strategy in 2021.