Malaysia Builds Momentum in 5G and Mobile Growth

Malaysia has a robust telecommunications infrastructure and a competitive mobile market. According to GSMA Intelligence, Malaysia had 43.3 million cellular mobile connections at the start of 2025. It is important to note that many individuals use more than one mobile connection, such as one for personal use and another for work, so the total number of mobile connections often exceeds the population. The growing adoption of eSIMs has further simplified the use of multiple connections on a single device.

In fact, GSMA Intelligence data shows that, as of January 2025, mobile connections in Malaysia were equivalent to 121% of the country’s total population.

Looking at recent trends, mobile connections grew by 474,000, an increase of 1.1%, between the start of 2024 and early 2025. Additionally, 99.0% of mobile connections in Malaysia are now classified as broadband, meaning they connect through 3G, 4G, or 5G networks.

However, it is worth noting that not all devices on broadband-capable networks actively use mobile data. Some connections may be limited to voice and SMS services only, so this broadband percentage should not be interpreted as a direct indicator of mobile internet usage.

As part of its broader economic development efforts, Malaysia has actively promoted open competition in the telecommunications sector. This approach has led to high penetration rates in both mobile and mobile broadband services, along with near-universal LTE coverage. Since the launch of 5G in 2022, adoption has grown rapidly, with 5G making up 38 % of all mobile broadband subscriptions by September 2024.

The major mobile operators in Malaysia are CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, YTL Communications (YES), and Unifi Mobile. These operators have been actively involved in the rollout of Malaysia's national 5G network and are key players in the country's telecommunications landscape. 

To maintain consistent 5G service quality, Malaysia’s mobile operators continue to utilise the state-owned 5G network operated by Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB). In May 2023, Malaysian authorities announced plans to transition to a dual 5G network model once DNB reached 80% population coverage, a milestone that was achieved in December 2023.

This shift marked a significant policy change, including the revocation of a 2021 ministerial directive that had previously appointed DNB as the sole entity responsible for Malaysia’s 5G rollout.

DNB was established by the government in 2021 as a special-purpose vehicle tasked with developing the national 5G infrastructure. Its network, deployed by Ericsson, is currently used by private telcos to deliver 5G services to consumers and businesses.

As of now, the major mobile operators in Malaysia provide 5G services through DNB’s state-run network. These include CelcomDigi, Maxis, YTL Communications (Yes 5G), and U Mobile. Each of these operators, except for Telekom Malaysia which had its equity deal cancelled, holds a 16.3% equity stake in DNB. The Ministry of Finance retains a 34% share.

CelcomDigi holds a 30.1% market share in the Malaysian telecommunications sector. This is a significant increase from 2023, following the merger between Celcom and Digi in November 2022. The merged entity has become the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia, surpassing its closest rival, Maxis.

Currently, it serves over 20 million customers, two-thirds of the Malaysian population, through 6.7 million postpaid and 13.4 million prepaid subscribers. CelcomDigi operates the widest 4G network, covering over 96 % of the population nationwide from approximately 24,000 network sites and has an extensive fibre network of around 15,000 kilometres.

CelcomDigi and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to introduce AI-driven network analytics across CelcomDigi’s infrastructure, aiming to enhance operational efficiency as 5G adoption continues to rise in Malaysia. As part of the agreement, both companies will collaborate on the development of intent-based autonomous networks, integrating AI and automation to improve network performance and efficiency. They also plan to explore the use of AI in building advanced 5G service assurance solutions, with the goal of delivering more reliable and tailored connectivity experiences for both businesses and consumers.

According to Ericsson, Malaysia registered 18.2 million 5G subscriptions as of the end of 2024, which equates to a market penetration rate of 53.4%.

CelcomDigi also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ZTE to collaborate on integrating AI technologies into its telecommunications infrastructure. The companies plan to explore AI-driven solutions such as new calling, intelligent deep packet inspection for smarter network traffic management, and intelligent operations and maintenance to automate network monitoring and maintenance using AI-powered predictive analytics.

Maxis is the second largest operator in Malaysia. Maxis operates one of the most reliable 4G LTE networks in the country, reaching over 95% of the population. With Malaysia's ongoing 5G rollout under the DNB single wholesale network model, Maxis was initially cautious in adopting the new structure. However, in 2023, Maxis signed an access agreement with DNB, enabling it to begin offering 5G services.

According to Opensignal, Maxis was the first Malaysian operator to win the Reliability Experience award. It also won the Consistent Quality award with 67.3% of tests, closely followed by Digi with 67.1%. Since the last report, Maxis’ Consistent Quality score has improved by 11 percentage points.

U Mobile, despite being a smaller operator, has announced plans to build Malaysia's second 5G network, aiming to rival the first built by DNB. The decision follows government approval for a second 5G network in a move to end the monopoly previously held by DNB. U Mobile has chosen Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE as technology partners for this project.

The enterprise-grade 5G network will support 5G Advanced and network slicing from day one, enabling tailored services for industries like healthcare, transport, and smart cities. U Mobile’s rollout emphasises improved indoor 5G coverage and prioritises key locations such as transport hubs, medical centres and data centres. U Mobile has stated it will continue working with DNB to ensure quality of service during the transition.

Unifi Mobile is a Malaysian internet mobile network operator and a subsidiary of the national telephone company, Telekom Malaysia. Unifi performed well in the recent Opensignal report, winning the 5G Download Speed Award with speeds of 290.3 Mbps. In the previous report, there had been a three-way tie but Unifi has now emerged as the sole winner. Unifi also won the 5G Video Experience Award with a score of 77.7 on a 100-point scale, more than two points higher than Digi.

Yes Mobile is operated by YTL Communications Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhad, a leading Malaysian infrastructure conglomerate. Launched in November 2010, Yes Mobile was the fifth mobile operator in Malaysia and distinguished itself by deploying an all-IP, all-4G network from the outset.

In December 2021, Yes Mobile became the first operator in Malaysia to launch 5G services, branded as Yes FT5G. This rollout was facilitated through a partnership with DNB. Yes Mobile's 5G services initially covered areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Cyberjaya.

The Yes network is built with an all-IP architecture, making it the first and only all-4G and all-IP network provider in Malaysia capable of offering unique services such as user ID-based unified communications and session concurrency for mobile data and telephony services. Yes operates its own network infrastructure in Malaysia, with close to 5,000 base stations and an all-4G network footprint reaching over 85% of the population.

As Malaysia continues to expand its 5G infrastructure, mobile operators are in active competition and are poised to integrate next-generation technologies into their offerings.

Related Posts: 

• Private Networks Technology Blog: ZTE's Award-Winning Minimalist Private 5G-A Solution
• Operator Watch Blog: Malaysia is a Land of Competition with Plenty of Mobile Networks to Choose from
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Malaysia Looks at Small Cells for 5G
• Operator Watch Blog: Malaysia Decides on Innovative Approach for 5G Spectrum 

Namibia's Digital Transformation Journey Continues Unabated

Namibia, with its vast landscapes and scattered population, presents unique challenges for mobile operators. As of 2024, the mobile sector in Namibia has continued to grow steadily, with increasing investment in infrastructure, wider network coverage, and improved service offerings.

According to GSMA Intelligence, Namibia had 2.91 million mobile connections at the beginning of 2024. However, it's important to note that many people globally use multiple mobile connections—one for personal use and another for work, for instance—so it's common for the number of connections to surpass the total population. GSMA Intelligence data shows that, as of January 2024, mobile connections in Namibia equalled 110.8% of the population. This represents a decrease of 18,000 connections (or -0.6%) from the start of 2023 to the start of 2024.

The major players in Namibia's mobile telecommunications sector are Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) and Telecom Namibia, with other operators like Paratus offering specialized services. MTC’s market share in subscriber terms was 82% at the end of 2023 and Telecom Namibia at 17%. Paratus does not yet have a significant number of wireless subscribers, only 0.3%.

Mobile network coverage continues to increase across the country, with the regulator having urged the MNOs to focus investment in rural areas and thus support the government’s broadband coverage targets. The government in late 2023 lifted its moratorium against 5G deployments and the regulator followed by completing an auction of 5G-suitable spectrum in the 700MHz range. MTC began trialling 5G at the end of the year, while the regulator launched a campaign to educate the public about the benefits of 5G while dispelling the misinformation about the technology which had stalled its adoption earlier.

MTC is the first mobile phone provider with the most customers in Namibia and a pretty good coverage. It's the recommended network for travellers.  

MTC has retained its dominant position in Namibia's mobile telecom market, holding an estimated 84% market share, covering 98% of the population, and serving a customer base of 2.17 million, according to managing director Licky Erastus. The company has also aggressively expanded into the internet and fixed-line broadband market, achieving a 115% increase in revenue growth.

MTC's network now consists of 1,014 active sites, with 70% of these sites 4G-enabled, handling 50% of the company’s mobile data traffic.

Erastus noted that MTC initiatives continue to ensure that rural Namibians have access to the same mobile broadband experience as those in urban areas. In 2023, MTC upgraded 97 rural sites, 67 of which were equipped with refarmed spectrum to support 4G/LTE technology.

MTC and Huawei Technologies have held the country's first 5G technology demonstration in Windhoek after the government lifted a moratorium on 5G and allocated spectrum to telecom providers.

Minister of ICT, Emma Theofelus, hailed the event as a milestone for Namibia, emphasizing the importance of adopting advanced technology for national development. "This trial marks Namibia's commitment to leveraging technology for progress," she said, highlighting 5G's role in enabling e-governance, e-commerce, and e-health through faster connectivity. Huawei has previously partnered with MTC to bring 3G, 4G, and 4.5G technologies to Namibia.

Telecom Namibia Limited is the national telecommunications operator, established in August 1992 and wholly owned by the Government of the Republic of Namibia. Telecom Namibia is serving more than 619,000 (fixed and mobile) customers and annual revenue of more than N$ 1,4 Billion. Telecom Namibia runs the largest Digital Telecommunication Network in Namibia. The company is a leading supplier of voice, text, data and video solutions.

Telecom Namibia has entered into a five-year partnership with Huawei Technologies Namibia, aiming to enhance its mobile network capabilities and coverage nationwide. This collaboration is part of Telecom Namibia's Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) 2027, which outlines plans to invest in modernizing and expanding the TN mobile network. The initiative includes the deployment of new mobile base stations and upgrading existing ones across the country. Under the agreement, Telecom Namibia will acquire advanced mobile radio access equipment from Huawei to boost network capacity and coverage, particularly in underserved areas. This partnership will support the rollout of cutting-edge mobile technologies such as 4G, 4.5G, and 5G, providing consumers with faster, more reliable mobile broadband services.

Paratus Telecom holds licenses for 4G/LTE on band 3 (1800 MHz) in Windhoek and refarms its old WIMAX customers to 2600 TD-LTE (Band 38). It boast with the lowest prices for data in the country, but its network is limited to 4G/LTE.

Paratus is currently serving over 700 commercial and business customers across Namibia and quickly expanding into the residential and small business markets.  Additionally, Paratus is also now peering with four national and eight international interconnect operators to provide global calling plans.

The mobile telecommunications sector in Namibia is at an exciting phase, with major operators like MTC and Telecom Namibia leading the charge toward a more connected and digital future. However, significant challenges remain in terms of affordability, rural access, and staying competitive in the rapidly changing technological landscape. Despite these hurdles, the future looks bright, with a clear focus on innovation and expanding services to meet the needs of the entire population.

Namibia's journey to becoming a fully connected society will depend on sustained investment, collaboration between private and public sectors, and the continual evolution of mobile technology.

Related Posts: 

• The 3G4G Blog: 4G/LTE, 5G and Private Networks in Africa
• Operator Watch Blog: Data Usage Growing in Namibia but No 5G Please 

Tunisia is Ready to Launch 5G in 2024

Tunisia has one of the most sophisticated telecom infrastructures in North Africa. Penetration rates for mobile and internet services are among the highest in the region. A number of regulatory measures and infrastructure projects have been instituted in recent years as the government continues to extend broadband infrastructure to remote areas and develop a digital economy.

Supported by the Digital Tunisia 2020 program, the MNOs have built extensive LTE infrastructure, and have trialled 5G services, though commercial services are not expected to be launched before 2023.

The political events of 2021 have put into question the country’s economic recovery. Although the economy was severely impacted by the collapse of the tourism sector in 2020, it returned to growth in 2021. Nevertheless, there is high unemployment and emigration, as well as continuing economic pressure on households. These factors have in turn held back the potential for revenue growth in the telecom sector.

Operators Ooredoo and Orange Tunisie are also licensed as fixed-line operators and have launched DSL and FttP services. In addition, a dozen public and private ISPs compete in this sector, supported by a nationwide fibre backbone network and international access via submarine and terrestrial fibre.

There are three mobile network operators in Tunisia: Tunisie Télécom (TT), Ooredoo (formerly Tunisiana) and Orange Tunisie.

All 2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G in the populated areas on 2100 MHz up to HSDPA speed like in Europe, 4G/LTE started in 2016 in major towns on all three providers in 800 and 1800 MHz (B3, B20) and gives theoretical speeds of up to 150 Mbps.

In late June 2022, a Tunisie Telecom executive said that the operator is planning to shut down its 3G network and refarm its spectrum as its 3G users are rapidly migrating to 4G. The operator intended to launch VoLTE to allow it to transfer voice traffic from 3G to 4G. However, no timeline was given for the 3G network shutdown. Refarming 3G spectrum would allow Tunisie Telecom to improve the mobile experience of its 4G users.

The Tunis Afrique Press agency says that spectrum auction process is expected to take place between July and August of this year. Licenses will be awarded in September. 5G marketing is likely to be carried out soon after – in November.

A sectoral committee representing the National Telecommunications Authority (INTT) and the National Frequency Agency (ANF) was created in May 2023 to prepare for the transition. The ministry claims it has consulted with relevant stakeholders with experience in other countries.

During a press conference organized to reveal the roadmap for the launch of 5G, the ministry indicated that the call for tenders for operators would be launched at the end of April after validation by the Council of Ministers.

Three licenses will be granted to operators; Tunisia Telecom ; Ooredoo Tunisia and Orange Tunisia, which each consist of 5MHz duplexed in the 700MHz band and 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band as entry tickets.

In a second phase, each operator will also have 60MHz TDD in the 2.6GHz band.

As for the millimeter band; 26GHz, the ministry specified that it would later announce the parts of the spectrum which will be allocated to operators.

The licenses extend for a period of fifteen years each and should be awarded in September 2024. Thus around November, operators will have the opportunity to launch the marketing of 5G offers.

A representative of the INTT explained that there are 16 million SIM cards in Tunisia, and that Tunisians' data consumption increased fivefold between 2016 and 2023, from 600,000 to 1.7 million.

About 90.8% of Tunisians use mobile phones, 65% own smartphones, 72% use fixed internet, and 88% are active on social media, figures that are said to underline the need for 5G rollout. on.

According to the OpenSignal October 2022 report Tunisia’s mobile network experience continues to be hard fought, with only three out of nine awards being won outright (the same number seen in the last report). Ooredoo still has the largest haul of awards, successfully defending its outright win for Core Consistent Quality, while being a joint winner in six categories — including all three experiential awards (Video Experience, Games Experience and Voice App Experience) and both coverage awards (Availability and 4G Coverage Experience). Orange is a joint winner in five categories, including Upload Speed Experience where our users observed a three-way tie. Tunisie Telecom wins two awards outright (Download Speed Experience and Excellent Consistent Quality and is a joint winner for Video Experience (alongside Ooredoo) and Upload Speed Experience.

Ooredoo Tunisia leads the market with a 40.9% share as reported by the National Telecommunications Authority (INT). Moreover, the commercial deployment of 5G and 5.5G in North Africa is anticipated to boost Ooredoo's revenues.  

Ooredoo Group has announced a partnership with Nokia that will see its networks enhanced in Algeria and Tunisia, and forged an agreement with Huawei to adopt its technologies and wireless offerings, including 5G, in some of its MENA operating companies. In March 2023, the group inked a new partnership deal with Nokia to make its network 5G-ready in both Tunisia and Algeria. In Tunisia, Ooredoo began the first technology tests as early as December 2020.

Nokia will also upgrade the existing radio network for Ooredoo Tunisia and expand it with the addition of new radio sites. Upgrades will include deployment of Nokia’s AirScale portfolio, including base stations supporting multiple generations of radio technology from 2G, 3G and 4G to 5G; massive MIMO Adaptive Antennas for urban and wide-area coverage; dual-band Remote Radio Heads (RRH); and the AirScale indoor Radio (ASiR) small-cell service for seamless indoor coverage. 

Orange Tunisie is the smallest of the main operators. Last year they launched a project for the progressive solarization of their mobile network, in partnership with International Telecom Services (ITS.COM). The goal is to deploy solar panels on more than 1,000 sites, thereby reducing the operator's carbon footprint. This project aims to produce renewable energy to power Orange Tunisia's low-voltage radio stations, thus contributing to the country's energy transition.

Ultimately, Orange Tunisia's mobile network should reach a rate of 15% of renewable energy in its overall consumption, with the objective of reducing its carbon footprint by nearly 3,550 tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2025. This project is part of Orange Tunisia's strategy in terms of social responsibility and ecological transition, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to their website state-owned Tunisie Telecom has more than 6 million subscribers in fixed and mobile telephony. making it the largest operator in Tunisia’s growing telecoms market.

Tunisie Telecom (TT) is currently embarking on an ambitious all-optical network transformation program with longstanding strategy partner Huawei.

TT, as a No.1 service provider, is transforming to provide a high-quality home broadband experience

“ADSL technology is no longer meeting user high-speed requirements” asserts Oussama Samet, TT’s Chief Network Officer.

Samet, speaking to Telecoms.com at the recent Huawei Global Ultra-Broadband Forum held in Dubai, reported that TT held a 50% share in the county’s fixed broadband market, serving more than 1.3 million households with a mixture of xDSL and FTTH products. The days of copper-based broadband access in TT’s network are numbered, however.

Aside from rising traffic volumes and greater demand for high-quality connectivity, other drivers for TT’s all-optical transformation are increased use of cloud services, industry vertical digitalization and cloudification. The operator also wants to be prepared for the impact of 5G-Advanced on underlying networks.

By using existing civil works, TT is looking to extract as much cost‑efficiencies as possible in terms of FTTH rollout, service delivery and O&M. “This strategy has helped us double the number of homes passed with fiber by the end of 2023 and we’re on track to reach 500,000 households by 2025,” said Samet. “This will improve the average bandwidth to 30Mbit/s, and maybe up to 50Mbit/s, by the end of 2025 and greatly enhance the customer experience."

For more information on Tunisia's 5G plans please watch: 

Related Posts: 

• Operator Watch Blog: Would Tunisia Succeed in 2021 5G Rollout? 

United Arab Emirates has a Fantastic 5G Experience but Coverage Needs to Improve

The UAE has a strong mobile market, dominated by Etisalat and du. Both are majority-owned by the government. In a bid to attract additional foreign investment, it was resolved in early 2021 that the stake held by foreigners in the two companies could be increased.

The U.A.E. was the fastest 5G market globally in Q2 2023 according to Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence data, with growing competition between the nation’s two network operators helping to drive overall performance in the market to reach a median download speed of 557.63 Mbps. etisalat by e& was the fastest 5G operator globally with a median download speed of 680.73 Mbps.

Etisalat and du have deployed LTE networks providing national coverage, while the 5G penetration rate is the second highest globally after China. This has underpinned growth in the mobile broadband sector, and has enabled the strong development in the take-up of rich content and applications, as well as m-commerce. To help increase the capacity of 5G networks in coming years, and so keep up with data demand, the government has allowed for the GSM networks to be closed down and for spectrum and other assets to be re-purposed for 5G by the end of 2022.

According to the most recent Open Signal report  Etisalat remains top for award hauls. The operator takes home the greatest number of award wins, with nine outright victories and one shared win, a change from the last report when it was the sole victor in seven categories and shared first place with du in a further four. Du manages a respectable six first place finishes, five outright wins and its shared win with Etisalat for 5G Voice App Experience.

There has been a lot of focus on 5G in the United Arab Emirates, with both operators announcing partnerships with equipment vendors in February 2023. Du has partnered with Huawei to develop 5.5G (or 5G-Advanced) technology. They are expecting it to offer greatly improved data speeds, lower latency and increased energy efficiency. Not to be outdone, Etisalat has chosen Nokia to upgrade its existing 5G network, with the vendor providing services for replacing existing equipment and implementing automated transport slicing. Along with this, in late February 2023 Etisalat launched its commercial 5G standalone access (SA) network. The operator expects that the SA network will offer enhanced performance for business and residential customers

Both Emirati national operators have turned their attention to satellite connectivity, with du demonstrating what it claims to be the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East, using SES's satellites in January 2023. Since then, Etisalat announced that it has launched a 5G satellite solution, partnered with Eutelsat. Using satellite technology would bring access to remote areas with low terrestrial connectivity, and it will be interesting to see how these technologies develop.

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the completion of the second phase of testing of 5G-Advanced services in the 6GHz band. The regulator is working with local service providers Etisalat and Du on the trial, with the aim of achieving 10Gbps download speeds using 400MHz of spectrum in the 6GHz range. The TDRA’s director general, Majed Sultan al-Mesmar, commented: 

‘The exponential number of internet users, and the scientific advances witnessed by the world today, require new speeds to accommodate the increasing load on networks and keep up with the high specifications of emerging technologies on the world stage such as metaverse applications, to name a few. Having attained a speed of 10Gbps … this new, globally unprecedented speed will lead to faster data transfer, ushering in a new era of high-quality streaming and seamless cloud services. The trial will also enhance the IoT by providing the infrastructure necessary to simultaneously handle multiple connected devices, while ensuring seamless and reliable connectivity.’

Meanwhile in May 2023 Du completed a successful demonstration of 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) technology to showcase its 5G Standalone (SA) capabilities. The trial was carried out in conjunction with equipment partners Huawei and Nokia.

Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at Du, said: 

‘The successful demonstration of 5G network VoNR capabilities represents a significant milestone at a time when the digital sector is entering a new era. It enables unprecedented simultaneous voice and data transmissions and provides incredibly rapid connectivity transmission rates.’

Du claimed eight million mobile subscriptions and 559,000 fixed broadband subscriptions at the end of June 2023, up 8.0% and 18.3% year-on-year, respectively.

While 5G speeds, rollout and adoption increasing rapidly, according to OpenSignal, 5G availability is still low for both the operators and has a lot of scope for improvements. With the rapid rate of deployment, this number is surely bound to go up in the coming years.

Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: 4G Connectivity in UAE becoming Ubiquitous
• Operator Watch Blog: Three Middle East Operators launch 'World's First' 5G Networks 

Eir Ireland's Flagship Huawei 5G (and 4G) Mast Configurations

Peter Clarke, the well known YouTuber, famous for making videos about mobile masts and other infrastructure from many different MNOs, made a nice summary of Eir Ireland's 5G sites. 

Alt text:
1: Eir Huawei mast in Dublin with Huawei Active Antenna, Passive with dual RRUs (5501, 5509t).
2: screenshot of B20+B3 (4T4R) CA performance
3: Screenshot of B28 performance

— Peter Clarke (@PedroClarke1) September 3, 2020

Full details in the YouTube video embedded below:

 

Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: Ireland's new 5-year Roadmap to bring 5G connectivity to the nation
• Operator Watch Blog: Vodafone Accelerates Open RAN Innovation, Evangelizes Benefits to Other Operators 

Ghana gets 4G, 4G+, Open RAN but no 5G

 

The mobile market of Ghana is one of the most vibrant in Africa, with competing operators including the regional heavyweights MTN Ghana, Vodafone Ghana and AirtelTigo, formed from the merger of Airtel Ghana and Tigo Ghana. Although subscriber growth has remained strong in recent years, with the exception of a dip in 2017 resulting from a redefinition of active subscribers from one of the operators, competition has resulted in lower Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and pressure on revenue. The country ranks high in BuddeComm’s Telecom Maturity Index, a testament to ongoing developments in network upgrades among operators as well as efforts by the government and regulator to expand services to underserved rural areas.

There remains enormous potential in mobile broadband services, both in terms of subscriber additions and in mobile data ARPU. Mobile internet connections already account for the vast majority of all internet accesses in the country. The launch of LTE services by MTN Ghana in mid-2016 and by Vodafone Ghana in March 2019 has added to the vibrancy of this sector. The regulator has encouraged other operators to refarm 2G spectrum for 3G use in a bid to improve internet access in rural and remote areas.

Overall there are four national operators competing for customers in Ghana: MTN Ghana, Vodafone Ghana, AirtelTigo (merged Airtel and Tigo) and Glo Ghana.

National networks are on 2G/GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and 3G/UMTS 2100 MHz plus 900 MHz from 2017. Coverage and speeds are fairly good compared with regional standards and Ookla speedtests show an average of 9 Mbps for the country. 4G/LTE has been started by MTN and Vodafone on 800 MHz (Band 20).

MTN Ghana from South Africa is the market leader in Ghana with a 48% share and the best coverage and speeds since it took over Arreeba Ghana (Scancom) in 2007.

It's the only major network so far that has rolled out 4G/LTE from mid-2016, now available in every regional capital and some larger towns. For LTE they use spectrum on 800 MHz (B20). In March 2019 they activated its ‘4G+’ service based on LTE-A carrier aggregation technology, disclosing that it currently operated 1,226 4G LTE sites of which 625 were LTE-A enabled.

With 23.9 million voice subscriptions, MTN Ghana controls 57% of the subscriber market share in Ghana, far ahead of Vodafone, AirtelTigo, and Glo at 21.97%, 20.3%, and 1.75% respectively.

Despite the presence of 52 Internet service providers and 3 other operators, MTN enjoys 67% of the country’s data market and currently leads the country’s fast-growing mobile money sector.

Vodafone Ghana used to be the second placed rival, but will be overtaken by the merger of Tigo and Airtel. It was formerly called Ghana Telecom and was the national telecommunications company of Ghana. In 2008 Vodafone agreed to acquire 70% of Ghana Telecom from the Ghanaian government while the Ghanaian government retained a 30% stake.

Vodafone has started with 4G/LTE in a partnership with Surfline Communications to offer 4G services to its own customers in the cities of Accra, Tema and Takoradi. In 2019 Vodafone received spectrum on the 800 MHz (band 20) for LTE services, that have been launched in the springtime.

In 2017 Bharti Airtel has merged with Millicom’s Tigo in Ghana to become the country’s 2nd largest mobile operator called AirtelTigo with a 26% market share.

The regulator granted conditional approval for the merger in 2017. In the following months the two networks were integrated. In December 2018 AirtelTigo has announced that it has completed the network integration it has been carrying out for the past year. The new network is shown as Tigo on most phones.

Bharti Airtel has announced that it plans to end its Ghana operations by selling all of its 100% stake in its Ghana division, AirtelTigo. Airtel owns a 49.95% non-controlling stake.

The government of Ghana is reportedly set to acquire 100% shares of AirtelTigo, its customers and agreed liabilities. The government is expected to temporarily operate the assets and help protect the jobs of employees and the Interests of customers and stakeholders.

GLO for Globacom from Nigeria entered the Ghanaian market some years ago. It's the new 4th ranked operator with a meagre 4% share. Due to its lower coverage, it can't be recommended for travelling through the country.

Glo’s entry into Ghana in 2011, and the merger between Airtel and Tigo in 2017, could not provide sufficient competition for MTN in the telecom market.

Consequently, Ghana’s telecom market is gradually edging fully towards consolidation instead of a competitive one.

The Ghanaian government is working with Huawei Technologies to deploy more than 2,000 Rural Star sites in rural areas of the country. The network project, which is scheduled for completion by September 2021, is expected to provide voice and data services to over 3.4 million people in underserved and unserved communities, thereby extending national mobile coverage from 83% to 95%.

Back in April, the All G Open RAN vendor Parallel Wireless had announced that they have been selected by Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) to provide mobile telephony connectivity to underserved and unserved communities in Ghana. GIFEC is a special Fund set up by the Government of Ghana under the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775), designed to provide telecommunications and ICT services to unserved, underserved and deprived groups and communities in the country.

Would Tunisia Succeed in 2021 5G Rollout?

Tunisia has one of the most advanced telecom infrastructures in North Africa. Penetration rates for mobile and internet services are also among the highest in the region. Stimulated by the Digital Tunisia 2020 program, a number of regulatory measures and infrastructure projects have been instituted aimed at improving internet connectivity to underserved areas. The MNOs have built extensive LTE infrastructure, while operators such as Ooredoo are working with vendors to develop 5G networks and services though the regulator does not expect to offer 5G licenses until 2021. Other investment has been earmarked for vectoring VDSL and fibre to deliver improved fixed-line broadband services. Ooredoo and Orange Tunisie are also licensed as fixed-line operators and have launched DSL and FTTP services. In addition, a dozen public and private ISPs compete in this sector, supported by a nationwide fibre optic backbone network and international access via submarine and terrestrial fibre.

The events of the ‘Arab Spring’ revolution in 2011 drove the country into a brief recession, but GDP growth soon returned to pre-crisis levels. While GDP growth has been modest yet sufficient to encourage confidence in economic recovery, the government’s measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to result in a significant decline in GDP for 2020.

There are three mobile network operators in Tunisia: Tunisie Télécom (TT), ooredoo (formerly: Tunisiana) and Orange.

All 2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G in the populated areas on 2100 MHz up to HSDPA speed like in Europe, 4G/LTE has started in 2016 in major towns on all three providers in 800 and 1800 MHz (B3, B20) and gives theoretical speeds of up to 150 Mbps. Generally, Tunesian 4G coverages and speeds are pretty good for an African country at average 18 Mbps and 61% covered of the time according to OpenSignal in 2018, but can't match those of Europe or Asia.

Tunisie Télécom and Ooredoo are both on par and have the best network. Orange has a slightly smaller network, but still reaches 87% of the population with 3G and is heavily investing into 4G/LTE deployment.

According to market figures in 2019 TT is slightly ahead of Ooredoo with Orange in third place. But when it comes to 3G and 4G data Ooredoo leads the table with Orange in second and the incumbent TT in 3rd place.




TT the incumbent (and partly state-owned) operator in the country has re-gained its lead in the country, having a is a 48% share of subscribers in 2019. But it has the smallest number of data users.
4G/LTE is available at the same rates as 3G in the areas of Greater Tunis (Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous, Mannouba), Bizerte, Sousse and Sfax in 2016 spreading to the rest of the country. TT is more or less on par with Ooredeoo.



Ooredoo has rebranded the Tunisiana label a few years ago. Their network is generally on par with Tunesie Télécom what coverage and speed is concerned.

They are no.2 with a 43% user share in 2019 and a 99% coverage on 3G. 4G/LTE started in 2016 and seems to be the fastest network in the country. Ooredoo is the data leader with the most 3G and 4G customers.

Orange Tunisie is the smallest network operator in the country, but it's strong on data. Though it has only a customer share of 5.6% in 2019, it produces about 1/3 of all mobile data traffic in the country. 4G/LTE has started in at least 20 cities in 2016. It's particularly popular among data users, as it normally gives good speeds as long as you have coverage.

Tunisia maybe one of Africa’s best places for effective 4G, there is no 5G as of  yet. The country’s mobile network operators are expecting licenses for the technology’s rollout in 2021.

According to GSMA, in Tunisia, the 700 MHz band is already available since analogue TV switch-off. The 3500 MHz licences have been modified to allow LTE and there is some use of the 26 GHz band for fixed links. There is the potential to award the 700 MHz band now and possibly rearrange the 3500 MHz and 26 GHz bands to release spectrum and ensure contiguous frequencies.

Ooredoo Tunisie, the Tunisian arm of Qatar-based telecoms giant Ooredoo, has selected Huawei to build the infrastructure. They will make use of  Huawei’s 5G Single RAN radio solution with advanced Massive MIMO technology, in addition to its 5G Cloud Core technologies.

Meanwhile, Tunisie Telecom, the country’s legacy operator—which is 65 percent state-owned and consistently dominates the market of fixed-line subscriptions by a wide margin—is also joining hands with Huawei to build one of the fastest LTE networks ahead of the 5G era.

Nevertheless, Orange Tunisie may be the odd one out, because its French headquarters has made it known it won’t be joining the bandwagon. “We don’t foresee calling on Huawei for 5G,” Orange CEO Stephane Richard told reporters in Paris. “We are working with our traditional partners – they are Ericsson and Nokia.”

Related Posts:

• The 3G4G Blog: When will 2G & 3G be switched off now that 5G is here?
• The 3G4G Blog: Can KaiOS accelerate the transition from 2G / 3G to 4G?
• The 3G4G Blog - Digital Africa: Building the Internet Ecosystem
• The 3G4G Blog: Mobile can help with United Nations SDGs, only if prices go down

The Many Firsts of STC Kuwait

Kuwait is a small country with a small population. Kuwaitis are a minority in their own country with expatriates constituting 70% Of Kuwait's population. With these facts, one could be forgiven if they are completely unaware of how three innovative operators are trying to do some amazing stuff here.

STC Kuwait was called Viva Kuwait and was re-branded last year as we blogged here. In one of our recent posts, we explained the 5G scene in Kuwait. Kuwait has a very competitive landscape with Zain, Ooredoo & STC all vying to be number 1. In their annual report, Zain claims to be the largest operator with 38% subscribers while STC is smallest with 27%. In you look at the picture above, STC claims to have 33% market share, putting all the three operators at par with each other.

Ahmed Al Sharif, General Manager, Network at STC Kuwait recently did Service Provider Keynote at 5G Mena. His talk, embedded below talks about many different innovations STC is doing in Kuwait.

As can be seen in the pictures above, STC was first with nation wide 5G network, first with FDD 8T8R globally and first with CA & VoLTE globally. They have LTE TDD + TDD NR with dual connectivity. Their press release from back in Feb this year provides a lot of details.

stc - Kuwait, a world-class digital leader providing innovative services and platforms to customers enabling the digital transformation in Kuwait, announced today the deployment of an E2E 5G SA solution from Devices to Network and billing with the ability to simultaneously support both 5G Non-Stand Alone (NSA) and 5G Stand Alone (SA).

This initiative builds on stcs partnership and vision to collaborate with Huawei to deliver an agile, cloud native, next generation 5G network that gives stc the ability to introduce new 5G services and experiences with the shortest time to market. With the best 5G wireless coverage by end of 2019, stc - Kuwait updated its wireless network seamlessly to support the SA NSA terminals. stc Kuwaits 5G core network platform is fully designed with containerized micro service architecture making it truly Cloud Native. The hardware of platform is MENA first running on the innovative disruptive next generation ARM V8 architecture powered by Huawei servers which have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the ICT industry especifically as we enter the 5G era.

These ARM based servers are able to leverage their abilities in providing a highly scalable, massively dense, power efficient 5G Core to stc - Kuwait based on the industry standard 5G reference architecture ensuring an open and rich ecosystem.

stc - Kuwait also upgraded its billing system to further support multi-dimensional, multi-scenario charging for consumer, home and corporates. Collaborating with 5G SA technology, stc currently has an end to end network ready with an initial focus on eMBB and is looking forward to the industry to standardize mMTC uRLLC.

stc Kuwait CEO, engineer Maziad Alharbi said, 5G is where the aspiration of the enterprising business and the magical consumer use cases will for the first time become reality. We are able to provide guaranteed SLAs through SA, especially the enhancement in uplink to support our Dedicated Access offering to enterprises. It is now possible with 5G to see stc pave the way for users to experience low latency and massive connections to become a reality in Kuwait.

He added, This is why stc has partnered with Huawei to design and deliver a network that considers the latest trends and utilizes evolutionary learning systems to provide an unmatched user experience. A safe and secure digital ecosystem where industries and consumers can benefit from with services tailored to their needs. We hope to welcome everyone to experience this end to end 5G SA with us.

Here is a keynote video:




Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: VIVA Officially Rebrands to its Parent STC
• Operator Watch Blog: Kuwait Leading the way on 5G

Ethiopia Ready to Break Telecom Monopoly

Ethiopia was one of the last countries in Africa to allow its national operator a monopoly on all telecom services including fixed, mobile, internet and data communications.

The only operator present in Ethiopia is Ethio Telecom, or  Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) and owned by the government. It's the only telecommunications services provider in Ethiopia, providing internet and telephone services on landlines and mobiles. It was managed 2010-12 by France Telecom, but is now back under the full control of the government.

Until now Ethio Telecom’s monopolistic control has stifled innovation, restricted network expansion and limited the scope of services offered. However, in June 2019 the government approved legislation which will open the market to competition and provide much needed foreign investment. There has also been considerable investment in telecoms services, infrastructure and service expansion projects in recent years. Ethio Telecom has secured a network monitoring platform to help it improve services and has also revised plans to launch a telecom satellite, while the government initiated the construction of a $3 billion technology city.

Most of the technologies deployed thus far have been provided by ZTE and Huawei, which have often been preferred for offering vendor financing. In preparation for competition in the mobile market, Ethio Telecom has placed the expansion of LTE services as a cornerstone of its investment program to 2022.

Penetration of mobile phones is low in the country: only about 4.5% of Ethiopian population own one. The mobile service is unreliable and often interrupted. The system is frequently out of work or overloaded, callers using both the landlines and mobile network are unable to connect, the situation is made worse by inclement weather. Frequent power outages and damages to fibre optic cables add to the problems.

Coverage is very low outside the capital and provincial towns. 3G services started in 2008 only in major towns so far. In 2015: 95% of the population were in a 5 km radius to the next available phone line (being either a landline or within mobile coverage). Nevertheless, the maximum distance that people from rural communities have to travel for being able to use telecom services decreased from 30 km to 5 km within the last 10 years. This is in contrast to 725 base stations built in the capital Addis Abeba alone.



Ethio Telecom operates 3G up to HSPA+ is on 2100 MHz. 4G/LTE this was launched in Addis Abeba only in 2015 on 1800 MHz (B3). 4G/LTE is available for prepaid in the capital. Ethio also operates a network in CDMA/EVDO technology, that is not compatible with GSM technology.

The monopoly of Ethio Telecom will however come to an end soon. In 2019 Ethiopia awarded two telecoms licenses to multinational mobile companies. The government also offered a minority stake in Ethio Telecom. The privatization drive amounts to 40% of the country's telecom sector.  The government expected the winning companies to start operations in 2020, initially using Ethio Telecom’s infrastructure to run their networks while building up own infrastructure.

However as of last month 12 foreign companies have submitted bids for a partial stake in Ethiopia's telecommunications monopoly. In a press release, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Authority (ECA) said it has received complete information and expression of interest from nine international telecom operators and two non-telecom companies.

According to the ECA, the bidders from the telecom sector are Etisalat, Axian, MTN, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company, Telkom SA, Liquid Telecom, Snail Mobile, and Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of telecom operators comprising Vodafone, Vodacom, and Safaricom. The two non-telecom companies are Kandu Global Telecommunications and Electromecha International Projects.
It is not yet clear when the winners will be announced.

GSMA Intelligence estimated Ethio Telecom had 43 million connections (excluding IoT) at end Q2 2019. Of these, 96 per cent were prepaid with less than 9 per cent on 4G.. GSMA Intelligence estimated the number of unique mobile subscribers was 35.4 million at the end of Q3 2019, with just 20.7 million of these data connections.

Zambia is working on making 3G and 4G, reliable and affordable

There are currently three national mobile operators in Zambia: MTN, Airtel and Zamtel.

The 3 major networks operate on following frequencies: 2G/GSM up to EDGE on 900 MHz, 3G/UMTS up to DC-HSPA on 2100 MHz and 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz (B3) and 2600 MHz (B7). Due to the low quality of landlines, prepaid SIMs are for most Zambians the only way to get internet access.

 The operators continue to invest in 3G and LTE-based services, while the government also contracted Huawei to upgrade the state-owned mobile infrastructure for 5G services. The government’s Universal Access Fund has made measurable progress in delivering telecom services to underserved areas, particularly in its funding the GRZ Communication Tower project which will see 1,010 towers installed by the end of 2020.

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.



MTN is the largest network in Zambia with 42% of the market. For data they claim download speeds of up to 42 Mbps. MTN started with rolling out its 4G/LTE network on 1800 MHz (B3) in 2014 and is available in Lusaka and some other larger population areas in Zambia.



The Indian-based company Bharti-Airtel took over activities from Celtel and Zain and is now #2 with 40% market share in the country close behind MTN. Airtel is present in all the 72 districts of Zambia with 200 towers all carrying what they call a 3.75G network: coverage map.

Having initially introduced 4G/LTE services in the Copperbelt in 2017, Airtel Zambia official launched of its LTE network in the nation’s capital Lusaka.

Zamtel launched its GSM services in 2003 and is government-owned. It's the smallest operator with 16% of the market in Zambia and is reported to also be the least customer oriented.

They launched 4G/LTE in 2014 in Kitwe only on 2600 MHz (B7) and current coverage of 4G/LTE beyond Kitwe is not known as coverage maps are not available. The operator said it has deployed LTE sites in Kitwe, Chingola, Mufulira, Chambishi, Lufwanyama, Chililabombwe and Kalulushi, including the border town of Kasumbalesa.



Back in 2017, Zamtel launched 4.5G LTE-2300 network in the Copperbelt in its quest to improve communication services, pushing forward its technology vision by deploying state of the art, cutting edge 4.5G long term evolution communication. Their press release said:

"Zamtel, Government owned total telecommunications provider has officially launched its 4.5G LTE-2300 network coverage on the Copperbelt Province.

The network will enable Zamtel to offer its fixed network subscribers significantly higher data speeds, thereby enhancing customer experience on the Zamtel network.

The 4.5G LTE-2300 technology has been rolled out in Kitwe, Kalulushi, Chambishi, Chingola, Chililabombwe, Mufulira and Solwezi. The network solution will not only be advantageous to the company but to Zamtel customers as well, as customers will connect with a far more superior data experience from their homes or offices."

Right now, Zambia's priority is to improve the 3G & 4G coverage, and make mobile broadband reliable and affordable for everyone. It still has some way to go before jumping on the 5G ship.

Kuwait Leading the way on 5G

Kuwait has a dynamic telecoms sector with a strong bias towards mobile infrastructure and services.

It has one of the world’s highest mobile penetration levels with 7 million mobile subscriptions in a country of just 4 million people, putting its mobile penetration levels at 168 per cent. With Kuwaiti’s being some of the heaviest consumers of data in the world, this shows the intense demand for capacity on the country’s mobile network infrastructure.

The telecoms sector has also become increasingly important to Kuwait’s economy as the country looks to diversify from its reliance on oil and this is particularly pertinent given the drop in oil prices as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak.In 2020 the operators have also demonstrated support during the COVID-19 pandemic through various service offerings and assistance.

There are three major operators of Zain Kuwait, STC (previously VIVA Kuwait) and Ooredoo offer LTE services as well as exploring 5G opportunities. On all operators 2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz; 3G is on 2100 MHz and 4G/LTE is mainly on 1800 MHz (Band 3) and 800 MHz (Band 20).

Kuwait is connected to 7 key international submarine cables. With mobile penetration at high levels, focus has shifted to the mobile data market. All 3 operators have upgraded networks to support faster downlink speeds and are increasingly focused on mobile content and applications.

5G services have become a key focus of the operators which all launched initial 5G networks in 2019. Huawei has formed various partnerships with some of the key operators to further develop 5G in Kuwait.

A full house in #Kuwait. All three mobile operators @ooredookuwait, @VIVAtelecom, and @ZainKuwait now offer #5G services. See: https://t.co/Fo8VPacl3L, https://t.co/Ege0UhK4SH, https://t.co/K8OmzD4rIx

— GSA (@gsacom) June 21, 2019

Zain in Kuwait is the Group's flagship operation, which was established in 1983 called MTC and became the first telecom operator to launch commercial GSM services in the region and now offers 4G/LTE too. It can still maintain the leading position what coverage, speed and subscribers is concerned.

Hisham Allam, Group CTO @Zain, said its operations in Kuwait, where it launched #5G in April, provides nationwide coverage with 969 5G sites. #HWMBBF pic.twitter.com/3RzhBOhcto

— joseph (@Telecomwaring) October 16, 2019

Zain Kuwait has also deployed Enea’s network management solution to ensure that its subscribers do not suffer a degradation of service experience during particularly busty periods, such as long wait times and degraded video quality.They are using Enea Openwave Encrypted Video Manager, which enables transparent classification of encrypted video flows to balance picture and playback video quality in real time according to radio network conditions.

Zain in Kuwait is focusing heavily on HTC 5G Hub for their 5G promotion. Here is their advert #5GAdverts #5GZain https://t.co/CIO8GkJcvA

— 3G4G (@3g4gUK) March 31, 2020

Ooredoo, rebranded from Watanya, and based in Qatar is the 2nd provider in Kuwait. It rivals with Zain and has an equally good coverage and speed in the country. Their innovative product offering enabled them to grow their customer base by 12 percent to 2.6 million at the end of 2019.

Ooredoo has already launched 5G services and devices including a 5G MiFi router in Kuwait in collaboration with Huawei, and said it is accelerating the deployment of more "5G-ready" network stations in Kuwait and Oman.

Ooredoo will leverage Huawei’s world-leading 5G SingleRAN radio solution with advanced Massive MIMO technology, and 5G Cloud Core solution with a convergent platform to achieve a full digital transformation and modernization of its existing mobile networks. The network upgrade will provide customers with the latest 5G technologies and services.



VIVA Kuwait rebranded as STC (Kuwait) is the 3rd operator in the country. STC stands for Saudi Telecom Company and this rebrand was done at the end of 2019 after the Saudis purchased a majority stake in the company.

STC has made switching from 4G to 5G internet packages easier by offering customers 5G service in addition to a 5G router for KD 5 monthly. Customers can stream their favorite shows, play games, surf the web and work remotely at high internet speeds, low latency and instantaneous connectivity using Kuwait’s largest 5G network.

Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: Zain Achieves Goal of 5G Leadership in Middle East & Africa Region
• Operator Watch Blog: VIVA Officially Rebrands to its Parent STC

Mauritius: The Most Mature Telecoms Market in Africa

The island nation of Mauritius has long been a pioneer in the telecom sector. It was the first market in the greater Africa region to launch mobile telecom networks (in 1989), the first to provide a 3G service (2004), the first in the world to develop a nationwide WiMAX wireless broadband network (2005), and one of the first to launch IPTV services (2006). LTE and fibre broadband services are nationally available, while the government has also supported the building of a national Wi-Fi network, with additional funds set aside in the 2017-18 Budget.

The incumbent telco, Mauritius Telecom, has been partially privatised and benefits from the scale and technical prowess of Orange Group, which holds a 40% interest in the operator. All sectors of the market are open to competition. The country is a hub for submarine cables providing international connectivity, with the first stage of laying the IOX Cable underway and expected to be ready for service in 2019. The LION3 cable provides additional capacity and is helping make Mauritius a regional hub for cable connectivity.

Mauritius is successfully pursuing a policy to make telecommunications a pillar of economic growth, and to have a fully digital-based infrastructure,

The mobile market, with penetration at 143% by late 2018, is migrating from voice to data services. There are three network operators –Mauritius Telecom (in partnership with Orange Group), Emtel (operated by the Currimjee Jeewanjee Group and Bharti Enterprises), and Mahanagar (a subsidiary of MTNL which is also the island’s second fixed-line operator using CDMA2000 technology). These operators have steadily increased the reach of their LTE infrastructure to support growing demand for mobile data services.

Mauritius remains the most mature African country when it comes to telecoms, according to the 2019 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index by BuddeComm.

According to the index, in Mauritius, the thriving tourism market has stimulated the broadband sector. The island nation has extensive DSL infrastructure and operators have deployed fiber-based services in a number of locations.

There are three mobile operators on Mauritius:

my.t (formerly Orange)
Emtel
MTML (Chili)

All MNOs offer 2G on 900 MHz, 3G on 2100 MHz and started 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz. 4G/LTE is available for prepaid. On the outlying islands, Rodrigues has 4G/LTE coverage with the networks of Emtel and my.t and on Agalega there is 4G/LTE coverage only from my.t.




My.t is the incumbent provider owned by Mauritius Telecom with the best coverage and most customers on the island. In October 2017 it rebranded its products and services from Orange label to the name of my.t. Despite MT no longer using Orange branding, the French telecoms group still owns the majority 40% stake in the Mauritius operator.

Their 4G/LTE has the largest coverage on the island(s) so far. On the outlying islands of Rodrigues and Agalega only my.t has a 4G/LTE coverage. Mauritius Telecom has partnered with Huawei who they are aiming for the deployment of the 5G network in Mauritius sometime in 2020. Although this may be delayed now.



Emtel is the second provider on Mauritius. Its 3G coverage is equal to my.t, but its 4G/LTE is not so widespread. Their rates are slightly lower than my.t's.




Chili is the mobile label owned by Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Ltd., the Mauritian mobile unit of an Indian conglomerate. It's the 3rd operator on the island with the lowest rates. 3G/HSPA+ dubbed as "4G" started in 2015. MTML also runs a GSM-incompatible CDMA network, which is not marketed as Chili. It has the lowest coverage on the islands so far without any 4G/LTE.