(Ecofin Agency) - In Algeria, telecom operators Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo can from now market 4G services on mobile. On September 25, 2016, the government published to this end a decree “approving the licence for the establishment and operation of fourth generation (4G) public telecom network on mobile”.

Each operator will have two types of wilayas – priority and secondary – in which to launch the service. Overall, there are 15 priority wilayas and 33 secondary wilayas, thus five priority wilayas and eleven secondary wilayas per operator.

To insure the efficient coverage of the territory, authorities have established a minimal 5-year deployment plan for 4G. At the end of the first year of operation, each operator must have had covered at least 10% of the wilayas under its umbrella. Ouargla, Algiers and Oran for Mobilis ; Becar, Tlemcen and Tizi Ouzou for Ooredoo, and Djelfa, Setif and Constantine for Djezzy.

The telecom operators will be able to launch 4G services only after paying 15-year licence. The cost for the licence is divided into two parts. A fix amount of five billion dinars ($46 million) to pay within 20 days after acquiring the licence, and a variable amount that represents 1% of the annual revenue generated by each operator using 4G mobile technology.

Muriel Edjo