As 2025 became the 5G launch year across North Africa (Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria), I took a deeper look at spectrum holdings and allocations — and the story goes well beyond who launched first. When you move from “who holds which bands” to “how many MHz they actually hold per band”, the competitive picture changes materially.
Key takeaways from the allocations:
- Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia have strong 5G foundations through meaningful allocations in the 3.5 GHz band (5G NR) — ranging from 50 MHz to 170 MHz.
- Egypt is structurally constrained in 5G capacity: none of the four operators holds 3.5 GHz spectrum. Portfolios are concentrated in legacy LTE bands, limiting scalable 5G throughput.
- Across the spectrum, operators in Algeria/Morocco/Tunisia typically sit around 220–276 MHz, whereas in Egypt, the range is materially lower.
- Maroc Telecom (~276 MHz) leads the region in total assigned spectrum — a strong base for sustained capacity.
- Djezzy holds the largest single 5G NR block in the region (170 MHz at 3.5 GHz) — but its portfolio lacks low-band 700/800 MHz coverage, which matters for nationwide reach and indoor performance (even though it does have 900 MHz).
- In Morocco, Maroc Telecom has the deepest 3.5 GHz position (100 MHz) while Orange and Inwi sit at 50 MHz each — a key advantage that the “holdings” view alone doesn’t show.
- Inwi’s 2600 MHz depth (70 MHz total across blocks) stands out as Morocco’s strongest mid-band LTE capacity layer.
Total MHz doesn’t translate to user experience unless the spectrum is in the right bands and deployed where traffic and device support exist (coverage + density + ecosystem).
Note: In January 2026, Libyan state-owned mobile operator Almadar Aljadid officially launched 5G services, becoming the first provider to introduce this technology in the country. The initial rollout is focused on the capital, Tripoli, with plans for a phased expansion to other major cities.