Algeria has certainly come a long way since the introduction of mobile communications to its shores. A country that has been riddled with political and social unrest in recent years has been one of the fastest growing of the mobile industry in Africa following deregulations of the telecommunications market at the beginning of the 21st century. See for yourself how its industry is flourishing here: http://www.amgoo.com/blog/mobile-industry-in-africa-algeria-4g-paving-the-way-forward This meant that a large proportion of the population were finally able to connect to the global telecommunication network, and by the end of 2011 there were over 35 million mobile subscribers. When you compare these numbers to the measly 5 million in 2004, you get an idea of what this rapid seven-fold increase means for the Algerian mobile industry in the largest country in Africa! >>>Tweet This<<< The arrival of 3G In The Algerian Mobile Industry Fast forward a few years and Algeria's mobile penetration has already exceeded the 100% mark, making it one of the countries with the highest teledensities in Africa! And to think, all of this possible even after Algeria was the last country in North Africa to deploy a 3G network. This was largely due to the delayed privatisation of Algerie Telecom (Algeria's state owned MNO) being called off after its competitor, Lacom, cited regulatory barriers that made it impossible to compete. Nevertheless, the regulator finally awarded the country's 3 current MNO's, Algerie Telecom's Mobilis, Orascom's Djezzy and Wataniya's Ooredoo 3G spectrum licenses at the end of 2013.

1. Mobile Industry In Africa: Algeria - 4G paving the way
forward
amgoo.com /blog/mobile-industry-in-africa-algeria-4g-paving-the-way-forward
Sep 15, 2014 8:00:00 AM
Big growth in a short space of time
Algeria has certainly come a long way since the introduction of mobile communications to its shores. A
country that has been riddled with political and social unrest in recent years has been one of the fastest
growing of the mobile industry in Africa following deregulations of the telecommunications market at the
beginning of the 21st century. This meant that a large proportion of the population were finally able to

2. connect to the global telecommunication network, and by the end of 2011 there were over 35 million
mobile subscribers. When you compare these numbers to the measly 5 million in 2004, you get an idea
of what this rapid seven-fold increase means for the Algerian mobile industry in the largest
country in Africa! >>>Tweet This<<<
The arrival of 3G In The Algerian Mobile Industry
Fast forward a few years and Algeria's mobile penetration has already exceeded the 100% mark,
making it one of the countries with the highest teledensities in Africa! And to think, all of this possible
even after Algeria was the last country in North Africa to deploy a 3G network. This was largely due to
the delayed privatisation of Algerie Telecom (Algeria's state owned MNO) being called off after its
competitor, Lacom, cited regulatory barriers that made it impossible to compete. Nevertheless, the
regulator finally awarded the country's 3 current MNO's, Algerie Telecom's Mobilis, Orascom's Djezzy
and Wataniya's Ooredoo 3G spectrum licenses at the end of 2013.
3G for all
With competition between the operators and mobile penetration as high as it is, the rollout of 3G
networks has faciliated a change of focus of the MNO's to developing ARPU and investing in mobile
data services. The 3 operators have all successfully jumped onto the 3G bandwagon with Mobilis
looking to deploy an additional 20,000km worth of fiber-optic cables by the end of 2015. Djezzy, a 51%
stake of which was recently acquired by the Algerian government, managed to sign 60000 3G
subscribers in 2 weeks after deploying its first 3G network earlier this year, and Ooredoo has extended
its 3G coverage to 70% of Algeria's population. The nation's mobile industry is thriving and the
government has recognized the role it needs to play by pledging to invest €100 million into national
fiber and mobile network infrastructure to 2014. This growth has paved the way forward for operators
looking to cash in on the mobile boom and invest in other technologies, namely 4G LTE.
4G the way forward for Algeria
With the help of the fastest growing provider of 4G systems in 2013, Shenzhen-based telecomms
provider ZTE, Algerie Telecom is leading the charge in taking Algeria into the 4G era. Responsible for
the infrastructure in 14 provinces, ZTE is set to provide consumers and businesses alike with reliable,
high-speed data connectivity, which is also the first 4G network to be deployed in North Africa and is
seen as a key milestone in the development of Algeria's telecommunications industry! Fixed wireless
LTE was launched earlier this year in May with mobile 4G set to be rolled out in 2015.
Challenges facing Algerian operators
The rollout of 3G and the imminent deployment of 4G networks paints a pretty optimistic picture for
Algeria's mobile future, but such rapid growth always comes with its own challenges and problems. In
developing countries, high data costs are usually the primary inhibitor for the successful adoption of 3G.
This coupled with lack of education on using data services leads to users becoming reluctant to
upgrade from traditional feature phones. Operators need to educate consumers about the benefits of
data services to help users justify spending a higher share of their disposable income on telecom
services.
As the infrastructure to facilitate these technologies continue to be deployed operators need to ensure
quality of service. By providing subscribers with a good user experience when using mobile internet

3. services, users will be encouraged to use it more frequently which means greater returns for telcos. As
the device used to access these services, smartphones and the high costs thereof need to be brought
down in order to facilitate the move from feature.
The Algerian mobile industry is set to continue growing by this rolling out of new technologies in the
years to come. If Algerian operators can focus on educating their subscribers on the many great uses of
smartphones, provide a quality user experience and find the best low cost smartphones to help drive
further data consumption, then the future of the telecommunications industry in the largest country in
Africa will continue to prosper!
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Topics: Operators, Africa mobile industry