(Ecofin Agency) - In regard to the development of the 5G, such licenses could be available in Tunisia by 2021, Anouar Maarouf (photo), the country’s minister of ICT and digital economy announced December 20, 2018, in Tunis during the launch of the 2^nd workshop on the 5G and innovation organised by the national spectrum agency (Agence nationale des fréquences-ANF). He explained that once available, the government would facilitate the acquisition by allowing the spread of payment over time.

Anouar Maarouf called on the different public authorities of the telecommunications sector to give the country the means to be ready for the tech revolution. "We should prepare ourselves for this new phase, notably as far as the spectrum, without which the 5G would not exist are concerned. There is a favourable ground for innovation and investments in Tunisia, notably after the enactment of the law on startup, especially as they need an efficient and modern network to develop their innovative solutions”, the minister said.  

In the meantime, while awaiting the end of the 5G researches worldwide and the availability of those licenses nationally, telecom operators are already testing their technical capacities to support the 5G. This is the case of Tunisie Télécom which, in collaboration with Huawei, tested the 5G in May 2018 in Tunis. The public company successfully reached a download speed of 638.66 Mbps live and with a widely used consumer smartphone.