2019 Algeria - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Report Cover Image

Last updated: 22 Apr 2020 Update History

Report Status: Archived

Report Pages: 139

Publication Overview

This report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Algeria’s telecommunications market. The report analyses the fixed-line, mobile and broadband sectors. Subjects include:

  • Market and industry analyses, trends and developments;
  • Facts, figures and statistics;
  • Industry and regulatory issues;
  • Infrastructure developments;
  • Major Players, Revenues, Subscribers, ARPU, MoU;
  • Mobile Voice and Data Markets;
  • Broadband (FttP, DSL, cable, wireless);
  • Mobile subscribers and ARPU;
  • Broadband market forecasts;
  • Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;
  • Market liberalisation and industry issues;
  • Telecoms operators – privatisation, IPOs, acquisitions, new licences;
  • Mobile technologies (GSM; 3G, HSPA, LTE, 5G).

Researcher:- Henry Lancaster
Current publication date:- October 2019 (18th Edition)

Executive Summary

Algeria primed to have commercial 5G services in 2020

Algeria has a steadily developing telecom infrastructure with growth encouraged by sympathetic regulatory measures and by government policies aimed at delivering serviceable internet connections across the country. Fixed-line penetration was in decline for a number of years before the trend was reversed in 2015, with the momentum for growth supported by fixed-wireless connections based on LTE which had been introduced in 2014. This was short-lived, however, with subscribers since 2016 migrating from fixed-wireless to mobile LTE services.

Nevertheless, government-funded efforts, including the Universal Service Telecommunications (UTS) program, are continuing to ensure that fixed-line infrastructure is extended to underserved areas and thus the slow growth in the number of fixed-telephony connections should be maintained during the next few years.

Mobile penetration is growing steadily despite the tardiness of the regulator to licence 3G and LTE services. Licence obligations will ensure that LTE services will be extended rapidly in coming years in a bid to secure national internet coverage by the 2022 target.

Intensifying price competition between the three MNOs – Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo Algeria – together with increases in taxes on voice and data services, have had a negative effect on operator revenue. A new roaming agreement with Tunisia will place further pressure on revenue. The MNOs have responded by investing in upgrades to LTE infrastructure, while Mobilis has also trialled 5G and is expected to launch commercial services in 2020.

For many years the development of Algeria’s fixed-line broadband market was hampered by the limited reach of the fixed-line network. This created an environment which encouraged alternative operators to invest in fixed-wireless accesses, though since late 2016 mobile LTE has taken over from fixed-wireless as a platform. In common with other markets in the region, mobile connections account for the vast majority of internet accesses.

This report contains an overview of Algeria’s fixed-line telephony market, including a review of national and international network infrastructure. The report also covers the fixed and fixed-wireless broadband market, providing key statistics, profiles of the major players, and subscriber forecasts to 2024. In addition, the report reviews the mobile market, providing analyses on operator strategies and their operating and financial performance, as well as an assessment of recent spectrum licensing.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

  • Mobilis expecting to launch 5G services in 2020;
  • LTE subscriber base increased 82% in 2018, year-on-year;
  • VEON’s increases stake in GTH to 98.2%;
  • Huawei opens smartphone assembly plant in Algeria;
  • Regulator allows network operators to extend LTE services to additional provinces;
  • Algeria and Tunisia agree to end roaming charges for travellers;
  • ATS select Hughes’s JUPITER System to provide satellite broadband services;
  • Djezzy Telecom trials smart agriculture concept;
  • Report update includes the regulator’s market data update for 2018, telcos’ financial and operating data to Q2 2019, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market data developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Algérie Télécom (Mobilis), Optimum Telecom Algérie (Djezzy), Wataniya Telecom (Nedjema, Ooredoo), Djaweb, EEPAD, Swan Informatique, IcosNet, Smart link Communication

Related Reports

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Monitor critical insights with our AI-powered Market Intelligence Platform gathering and analyzing intelligence in real time. With AI trained to spot emerging trends and detect new strategic opportunities, our clients use TMT Intelligence to accelerate their growth.

If you want to know more about it, please see:

TMT Intelligence Platform

Research Methodology

BuddeComm's strategic business reports contain a combination of both primary and secondary research statistics, analyses written by our senior analysts supported by a network of experts, industry contacts and researchers from around the world as well as our own scenario forecasts.

For more details, please see:

Research Methodology

More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research

Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?

News & Views

Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.

Unsubscribe