On November 13, 2018, Mobilis, subsidiary of Algeria Telecom successfully tested 5G connection at Oran. The company reached a data transmission rate of 1.18 gigabytes per second. This test was conducted with the technical support of its partner Huawei during the Smart Algeria Forum.

Samir Bouzekri, technical director at Mobilis, explained that Oran would not be the only town where the operator would conduct tests. He reveals that Mobilis is "working with two other partners, ZTE and Ericson namely, to conduct the same test in other wilayas [towns] in the country" in order to be ready for the world technology switch that will occur by 2020.   

Let’s note that in Africa, Mobilis is not the only operator preparing for the launch of 5G. In South Africa, MTN and Vodacom have been preparing themselves since 2017. In Lesotho, Vodacom launched it in August 2018 while in Morocco, Etissalat Al-Maghrib and Inwi are also preparing themselves.

The 5G network will develop new use in the data market and create new business opportunities for operators. Thanks to this technology, new segments that need high-speed internet (online gaming, augmented reality, Internet of Things,) will be boosted.