North African ISPs have implemented diverse strategies to expand fiber accessibility and improve fixed broadband speeds, making significant progress since 2020, according to the latest Ookla report.
These efforts continued through 2023 and 2024, contributing to higher rankings in the Speedtest Global Index from Ookla. Each country has taken a unique approach to modernizing its infrastructure: Egypt prioritized upgrading ADSL to VDSL while deploying FTTH/B in new developments, Algeria focused on replacing copper lines with FTTH/B, and Morocco and Tunisia combined VDSL expansion with gradual FTTH/B rollout.
Algeria
Algeria has become the largest FTTH market in North Africa, with fiber subscriptions growing rapidly due to Algerie Telecom’s (AT) aggressive deployment strategy. By Q3 2024, fiber subscribers surpassed 1.5 million, reaching 1.8 million by early 2025. AT prioritized replacing copper lines with fiber in major cities while maintaining ADSL services, offering discounts and new speed packages ranging from 30 Mbps to 240 Mbps.
It also introduced Africa’s fastest broadband package at 1.2 Gbps for DZD 4,200 (US$31) per month. Despite these advancements, Algeria’s median download speed only rose from 12 Mbps in Q4 2023 to 15.65 Mbps in Q4 2024, with DSL’s continued dominance limiting national speed gains.
AT’s 2024-2028 strategy focuses on expanding fiber coverage, with a partnership with the National Agency for Housing Improvement and Development (AADL) to pre-install fiber in new housing developments. AADL’s plan to build 2 million housing units by 2029 could further accelerate fiber adoption in Algeria.
Egypt
Egypt maintained its position as North Africa’s leading fixed broadband market in 2024, with over 12 million subscribers by Q3. Telecom Egypt (TE) dominated the sector, holding an 80.8 percent market share with nearly 10 million subscribers.
The adoption of VDSL since 2018 significantly boosted broadband speeds, increasing the minimum plan from 5 Mbps to 30 Mbps and raising the country’s median download speed to 77.89 Mbps in Q4 2024, up from 49.8 Mbps in Q4 2022.
TE continued upgrading ADSL to VDSL and expanding fiber to street cabinets, reaching 96 percent of households with FTTC by mid-2024, covering over 33 million homes. Fiber deployment efforts extended to the New Administrative Capital, high-density residential areas, and government offices.
Through the “Decent Life” initiative, TE expanded fiber coverage to 704 villages by Q3 2024 to improve rural connectivity. Looking ahead, TE partnered with Hungarian telecom company 4iG to invest $600 million over the next decade, aiming to deploy fiber to six million more households.
Morocco
Morocco’s fixed broadband market has grown significantly, reaching over 2.5 million connections by September 2024, up from 1.6 million in 2019. The country leads North Africa in median upload speed at 31.86 Mbps in Q4 2024, nearing its median download speed of 35.57 Mbps.
Maroc Telecom (MT) dominates the copper infrastructure, prompting competitors inwi and Orange to expand their fiber networks and lease capacity from utility and transport companies. Under the “Maroc Digital 2030” initiative, the government aims to connect 4.4 million households with fiber by 2025 and 5.6 million by 2030, positioning Morocco as a leading FTTH/B market in Africa.
However, regulatory adjustments may be necessary to facilitate fiber adoption, as MT’s entry-level fiber package starts at 100 Mbps, whereas inwi and Orange offer more affordable but limited fiber plans at 20 Mbps or 50 Mbps. Encouraging infrastructure sharing could further drive competition and help Morocco achieve its ambitious broadband goals.
Tunisia
Tunisia’s wired broadband sector has steadily expanded, surpassing 1.2 million subscribers by Q3 2024. VDSL adoption more than doubled to 415,000, while fiber connections grew by 70 percent to nearly 100,000.
Despite this progress, ADSL remains dominant, and limited high-speed broadband coverage, along with affordability challenges, keeps download speeds relatively low at 11.72 Mbps in Q4 2024.
State-owned Tunisie Telecom (TT) controls the national copper infrastructure and fiber backbone, while alternative operators rely on a mix of ADSL, VDSL, FWA, and FTTH/B. TT’s strategy focuses on upgrading DSL ports to VDSL and expanding FTTH connections to 500,000 by 2025 to enhance broadband accessibility and performance.
In February 2025, Tunisia became the first North African country to launch 5G, allowing operators to introduce 5G FWA services with speeds up to 100 Mbps. Priced similarly to fiber packages and bundled with added benefits, 5G FWA is expected to boost its market share, already representing one-third of total fixed broadband connections, and improve high-speed internet access.
How do you rate your broadband network performance in Africa? You can write to use editor@telecomlead.com. We will publish your experience.
Baburajan Kizhakedath