Algeria’s Mobile Networks Tested: Real-World 4G/5G Speeds, Coverage Gaps, and Carrier Comparison

Algeria’s Mobile Market: Three Carriers, 55 Million Connections

Algeria’s mobile telecommunications market is served by three operators: Mobilis (state-owned, subsidiary of Algérie Télécom), Djezzy (operated by VEON Ltd., formerly VimpelCom, with the Algerian state holding a 51% stake via the Fonds National d’Investissement), and Ooredoo Algeria (subsidiary of Ooredoo Group, headquartered in Qatar). Together, they serve approximately 54.8 million cellular mobile connections as of January 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence — a penetration rate of 116% of the total population, reflecting multi-SIM usage patterns common across North Africa. This represents a year-over-year increase of 3.0 million connections (+5.8%), with 91.4% classified as broadband (3G, 4G, or 5G).

Mobilis leads in subscriber count, while Djezzy holds approximately 30.84% market share based on available reporting. Ooredoo Algeria competes aggressively on data speed and network quality. All three operators hold 2G (GSM), 3G (UMTS/HSPA+), and 4G LTE licenses. The 4G LTE rollout began in 2016 following a delayed spectrum auction — Algeria was among the last North African countries to launch 4G, years after Morocco (2012) and Tunisia (2014).

The most significant development in Algeria’s telecoms history arrived on December 3, 2025, when Algeria officially inaugurated commercial 5G mobile services at a ceremony at the Abdelatif-Rahal International Conference Center in Algiers. All three operators received 5G licenses — published in JORADP (Journal Officiel) issue #77 on November 20, 2025 — at a combined cost of DZD 63.9 billion (approximately US$492 million). Eight provinces were designated as initial pilot areas, with the government mandating nationwide 5G coverage within six years.

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Real-World 4G Speed Tests: The Data

Measuring network performance requires distinguishing between data sources. Ookla Speedtest captures user-initiated tests — people actively checking their connection, often when they expect good signal — which tends to produce higher numbers. OpenSignal measures passively during normal smartphone usage, providing a picture of everyday experience. Both are legitimate but tell different stories.

OpenSignal’s April 2025 Mobile Network Experience Report for Algeria provides the most granular carrier-by-carrier data. Ooredoo Algeria leads on download speed experience at 13.8 Mbps — 69.7% faster than Mobilis and over twice Djezzy’s score. On upload speed, Ooredoo again leads at 5.8 Mbps, approximately 1.7 Mbps ahead of Mobilis and Djezzy, which tied for second. These are real-world experience scores reflecting what users actually get during daily usage, not peak or lab conditions.

For 4G availability — the percentage of time users are connected to 4G rather than falling back to 3G — Djezzy leads at 79.3%, followed by Ooredoo at 75.6% and Mobilis at 68.6%. This means Djezzy users spend the most time on 4G networks, even though Ooredoo delivers faster speeds when connected. On video experience, Ooredoo scores 60.0, Djezzy 57.7, and Mobilis 54.4. For gaming experience, the scores are tighter: Mobilis 55.7, Ooredoo 54.7, and Djezzy 54.1.

By regional standards, Algeria’s mobile broadband performance places it in the middle tier. Morocco and South Africa consistently post higher median speeds, while countries like Cameroon and Ethiopia rank below. Latency on 4G across operators typically ranges in the 30-55ms band — adequate for most applications but significantly higher than the sub-10ms that 5G networks promise. For context, fixed broadband in Algeria via ADSL (which still dominates residential connections) delivers 5-12 Mbps download with 40-80ms latency, meaning 4G LTE is often faster than home internet for many Algerians.

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5G: From Trials to Commercial Launch

The December 2025 launch transformed Algeria’s 5G story from speculative to operational. During February 2025 trials, Mobilis reported downlink speeds of 1.2 Gbps, with typical user speeds in the 150-300 Mbps range — a 10-30x improvement over 4G. These trial results, while conducted under controlled conditions, signal the performance ceiling that 5G infrastructure can deliver.

The $492 million combined license cost reflects the government’s view of 5G as critical national infrastructure. Minister of Post and Telecommunications Sid Ali Zerrouki framed the launch as supporting the national strategy for modernizing telecoms infrastructure and boosting the digital economy, with applications in healthcare, Industry 4.0, education, and smart mobility. The initial rollout targets eight provinces, with all three operators required to achieve nationwide coverage within six years.

The practical impact will depend on several factors: device availability (5G-capable smartphones remain expensive relative to Algerian purchasing power), base station density (8 provinces is a start, not saturation), and spectrum allocation efficiency. Early 5G deployments globally have shown that real-world user speeds typically settle at 100-300 Mbps in initial phases — transformative compared to 4G but below theoretical maximums. The key question is how quickly infrastructure investment translates into consumer-accessible performance outside the initial pilot provinces.

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Coverage Gaps: The Geography Problem

Algeria’s 2.38 million square kilometers make universal coverage economically impractical. All three operators concentrate their 4G LTE networks in the northern population corridor — the Tell Atlas and High Plateaus where the vast majority of the population resides. Within this zone, 4G coverage in wilaya capitals and major cities (Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Annaba, Blida, Sétif, Batna) is generally solid, with multiple cell sites providing service to urban and suburban areas.

The coverage gaps emerge in three types of terrain. First, mountainous Kabylie (Tizi Ouzou, Béjaïa, Bouira wilayas): the rugged topography of the Djurdjura range and its foothills creates dead zones between valleys, where cell signals are blocked by terrain. Driving the RN12 between Tizi Ouzou and Béjaïa reveals frequent coverage drops to 3G or complete loss. Second, the southern Saharan wilayas: below the Atlas chain, 4G coverage exists primarily in wilaya capitals (Ghardaïa, Ouargla, Béchar, Adrar, Tamanrasset) and along major national highways. Venture 50 kilometers off the N1 highway in the Sahara and connectivity drops to 2G GSM or nothing. Third, border regions: areas near the Moroccan, Tunisian, Libyan, Malian, and Nigerien borders frequently have minimal coverage, partly due to security considerations and low population density.

ARPCE’s coverage obligations mandate that operators serve a minimum percentage of the population (not geographic area) with 4G, which incentivizes urban and suburban deployment over geographic expansion. This is economically rational — a single cell tower in Algiers serves thousands of users while a tower in the Tassili n’Ajjer serves dozens — but it leaves significant territory with legacy 2G/3G service or no service at all. Satellite backhaul (via Alcomsat-1) feeds some of the most remote cell sites, but the operational cost of maintaining towers in extreme Saharan conditions constrains expansion.

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Pricing, Data Plans, and Consumer Value

Mobile data pricing in Algeria is among the most competitive in Africa, driven by intense three-way competition. Prepaid dominates — an estimated 90%+ of subscriptions are prepaid — and competition plays out through promotional offers, bonus data, and social media-specific packages. All three operators offer data packages in the range of 15-30 GB for 1,000-2,000 DZD, with various validity periods. The rapid introduction of 5G is expected to shift pricing structures, though initial 5G plans have not yet been widely published as of early 2026.

By global standards, Algeria’s mobile data pricing is reasonable. The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) and ITU data show Algeria’s mobile broadband cost at approximately 1.5-2% of GNI per capita for a basic data package — within the UN Broadband Commission’s affordability target of below 2%. The real value proposition is that mobile 4G — and now emerging 5G — often outperforms fixed ADSL in both speed and reliability, making mobile the primary internet access method for many Algerian households.

Enterprise and business plans are less transparently priced. All three operators offer business packages with pooled data, dedicated account management, and VPN/APN services, but pricing is typically negotiated rather than published. Machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM plans for IoT devices are available from all operators, supporting the growing deployment of connected devices in agriculture, logistics, and utility monitoring — applications that the 5G rollout is expected to significantly enhance.

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Sources

• Algeria Mobile Network Experience Report April 2025 — OpenSignal
• Algeria to Get 5G as Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo Commence Rollouts — Developing Telecoms
• Algeria Launches 5G Rollout — Connecting Africa
• Algeria Awards 5G Licenses for Nearly $492 Million — Ecofin Agency
• 5G Officially Launched in Algeria — AL24 News
• Algeria Official Gazette #77: 5G Licenses — JORADP.NEWS
• Algeria’s Best and Worst Operators — Connecting Africa
• Algeria Telecom Operators Intelligence Report 2025 — GlobeNewsWire
• Ookla Speedtest Global Index — Algeria — Ookla
• Affordability Report — Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)