Emesiere,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- Tunisie Telecom becomes the first to launch 5G in Northern Africa
- Why the tribunal blocked the Vodacom-Maziv R13 billion deal
- Nigeria’s telecoms push against fibre cuts and theft
Tunisie Telecom becomes the first to launch 5G in Northern Africa
Tunisie Telecom, one of the telcos in Tunisia, has officially rolled out its 5G-NSA (non-stand-alone) services, offering enhanced mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access to residential users.
The launch follows the awarding of licences at a ceremony attended by Tunisia’s head of government and the Minister of Communication Technologies at the Palais du Gouvernement in La Kasbah, with commercial services commencing on February 14.
The 5G rollout is using two types of network setups. One runs on a special 3.5 GHz frequency, while the other repurposes parts of the existing 4G network (mainly from the 2100 and 1800 MHz bands). The best part? Some of these 5G sites have hit super-fast download speeds of up to 2.1 Gbps.
This marks the first use of the 3.5 GHz band in Tunisia, providing a broader spectrum for improved speeds. The operator is also deploying 5G in its FDD format, aligning with the existing mobile network to ensure wider geographical coverage.
Ericsson collaborated closely with Tunisie Telecom to meet the ambitious launch timeline set by the Ministry of ICT. Despite a tight schedule and complex network architecture, the partnership successfully achieved the launch. Ericsson will continue to support the operator in advancing Tunisia’s Digital Strategy 2025, aiming to place digital technology at the heart of the country’s economic and social development.
In contrast, Egyptian telecom companies have announced plans to launch 5G services but have yet to do so. For instance, Telecom Egypt secured the country’s first 5G licence in January 2024 and, in collaboration with Ericsson, successfully trialled 5G in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital in February 2024. Additionally, Ericsson and e& Egypt signed a partnership agreement in October 2024 to launch 5G across the country.
Despite these developments and the government’s issuance of 5G licences to multiple operators, as of now, no Egyptian telecom company has commenced commercial 5G services.
Why the tribunal blocked Vodacom-Maziv R13 billion deal
Vodacom’s plan to buy a 30% stake in Maziv, the parent company of Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), for over R13 billion, just hit a wall. The Competition Tribunal has officially blocked the deal, saying it would hurt competition permanently.
It took them a while to publish their full reasons (because, apparently, the case file was over 21,000 pages long), but the gist is clear: this deal is bad news for competition and ultimately for South Africans relying on Internet services.
The Tribunal pointed out that Vodacom’s stake in Maziv would give it too much control, affecting everything from pricing to market competition. Many industry players were against the deal, arguing it would push out competitors, limit customer choices, and give Vodacom an unfair advantage in fibre and mobile markets. Some even suggested possible fixes, but the Tribunal wasn’t convinced. They believe no amount of conditions could properly regulate the risks this merger would bring.
So why was Vodacom so eager to make this deal? The Tribunal dug into it and found that Maziv was worried about Vodacom becoming a direct competitor, while Vodacom wanted to secure a big chunk of future fibre revenues. With more households switching from mobile data to fibre, Vodacom feared losing a tonne of money. So buying into the biggest fibre provider was their way of staying ahead.
The Tribunal also looked at what would happen if the deal didn’t go through and concluded that Vodacom would likely build its fibre network instead, creating more competition. But if they went ahead with this deal, Vodacom would own a big piece of the market, likely reducing competition in both fibre and mobile broadband. They also noted that Vodacom might slow down its push for 4G and 5G fixed wireless access, since owning fibre would be more pr0fitable.
Another major issue was DFA’s role in South Africa’s telecom infrastructure. Since DFA provides fibre connections to other mobile operators, letting Vodacom in could lead to unfair advantages like making it harder or more expensive for rival networks to access the same infrastructure. The Tribunal said this could seriously hurt competition in mobile and broadband services over time.
In the end, the Tribunal decided that while the deal had some short-term public benefits, its long-term impact on competition was too damaging. They dismissed the proposed conditions from Vodacom and Maziv, saying they were too complicated to enforce. The only good news? The Tribunal found no negative impact on jobs, so at least no one’s getting laid off because of this decision.
Nigeria’s telcos push against fibre cuts and theft
Nigerian telecom companies have united to form an Industry Working Group focused on protecting their infrastructure nationwide. This move comes in response to the increasing cases of fibre cuts, equipment theft, and vandalism affecting their operations.
The decision was made during a high-level meeting hosted by IHS Nigeria, bringing together industry stakeholders, regulators, and law enforcement agencies. The group is working under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to find ways to secure these critical assets.
The Working Group is tackling major challenges like base station shutdowns, damage from road construction, and unauthorised access to telecom sites. They’re also leveraging technology for real-time monitoring while strengthening security around key locations. Collaboration with security agencies and public awareness campaigns are also on their agenda.
Dapo Otunla, Senior Vice President at IHS Nigeria, highlighted the urgency of protecting telecom infrastructure, calling it essential for maintaining quality service. He pointed out that daily losses due to vandalism are affecting both the industry and subscribers, making it crucial to address these challenges.
Interestingly, the Nigerian government has already designated telecom infrastructure as critical national information infrastructure (CNII), making it a crime to destroy it. President Tinubu signed this into law last year, following a similar attempt by former President Buhari in 2020.
Despite these declarations, vandalism remains a major issue. The telecom industry’s move to take matters into its own hands might be what’s needed to ensure that these protections are enforced.
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Have a productive week!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.
