Tunis: The number of mobile phone subscriptions, all operators combined (Tunisie Télécom, Ooredoo Tunisie, Orange Tunisie, Lycamobile and Cayon Cloud Communications 3C) reached 16.4 million in 2023, compared with 12.7 million in 2013, representing an increase of 29%, according to data released recently by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) in its ‘Annual Report on Infrastructure Indicators.’

The population coverage rate for third generation (3G) services rose from 89.5% in 2013 to 99.8% in 2023, ‘thanks to the achievements made in this field with a view to modernising the infrastructure,’ the INS pointed out.

This includes notably ‘the extension and upgrading of communication systems, the improvement and diversification of the quality of services, and the extension and diversification of the capacity of the mobile phone network.’

The mobile internet sector in turn saw tangible growth, with the number of subscriptions more than tripling from 3.4 million in 2013 to 11.8 million in 2023.

INS statisti
cs also show an increase in the number of subscriptions to fixed telephone networks (Tunisie Télécom, Ooredoo and Orange), up from 0.5 million in 1994 to 1.8 million in 2022.

As such, fixed-line telephone density was up from 5.3 lines per 100 inhabitants in 1994 to 15.1 lines in 2022.

The number of subscriptions is expected to reach 2 million in 2023, giving a telephone density of 16.5 lines per 100 inhabitants.

Still on an upward trend, the number of fixed internet subscriptions increased considerably, reaching 1.7 million in 2022 (i.e. 15.7 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants), compared with 0.6 million subscriptions in 2013 (5.5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants).

As for postal services, the INS report revealed an improvement in postal coverage across the country’s various regions, reaching an average of 8,900 inhabitants per point of contact in 2022, compared with 7,100 inhabitants per point of contact in 2004.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse