Tunis - Tunisia’s telecommunications sector surpassed the one-billion-dinar mark in total turnover for the first time during the first quarter of 2026, reaching 1.0249 billion dinars, according to the latest statistical data published by the National Telecommunications Authority.

The figure marks a significant jump and notable growth compared with the same periods in previous years.

Indicators related to the first quarter of 2026 show a continued upward trend in the sector’s total revenues.

Turnover stood at around 952.6 million dinars in the first quarter of 2024, rose to 962.3 million dinars in the first quarter of 2025, and then exceeded one billion dinars during the first three months of the current year (1.0249 billion dinars).

This strong financial rebound reflects the deep digital transformation taking place in Tunisian society and the economy, particularly with the rapid development of fixed-line services, fifth-generation (5G) technology, and the expansion of high-capacity smart offers.

Exceptional surge in fixed 5G internet

The same data highlighted the remarkable success of the launch of 5G technology, which became commercially operational in February 2025.

The subscriber base for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) internet recorded major growth.

The number of subscribers rose from just 9,425 in February 2025 to 25,861 by the end of the first quarter of the same year, before surging dramatically to 277,616 subscribers in the first quarter of 2026.

This strong demand was directly reflected in data traffic through FWA technology, with consumption increasing from 8 petabytes in the first quarter of 2025 to 256 petabytes in the first quarter of 2026.

Growth in internet revenues and market shares

On the financial structure side, revenues from fixed and mobile internet services increased significantly. Revenues from fixed internet reached 361 million dinars in the first quarter of 2026, up 10% compared with 329 million dinars during the same period in 2025.

Mobile internet revenues also grew by 8%, reaching 339 million dinars compared with 313 million dinars a year earlier.

Regarding the turnover of Tunisia’s three telecom operators, including their activities as internet service providers (ISPs), during the first quarter of 2026, Tunisie Telecom maintained the lead with turnover of 362 million dinars, recording growth of 9%. It was followed by Ooredoo Tunisia in second place with 356.2 million dinars and growth of 8%, while Orange Tunisia ranked third with turnover of 209.3 million dinars, up nearly 4%.

Rising smartphone data consumption

The National Telecommunications Authority’s data also pointed to a strong rebound in revenues generated from mobile data activation on smartphones. Total revenues reached 295.9 million dinars in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 264.2 million dinars in the first quarter of 2025, representing an increase of 12%.

This rise was mainly driven by the sharp expansion of high-capacity packages (25 GB or more), whose revenues increased by 20% to 159.6 million dinars, up from 132.8 million dinars.

In terms of overall consumption, total mobile internet data traffic increased from 281 petabytes in the first quarter of 2025 to 354 petabytes in the first quarter of 2026, with smartphone offers accounting for the largest share at 318 petabytes.

Shift toward high-speed services

The structure of fixed internet subscriptions also underwent major changes, reflecting Tunisian consumers’ growing preference for ultra-high-speed services. Total subscriptions rose to 2.014 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 1.853 million during the same period in 2025.

This shift was particularly visible in fibre-optic subscriptions, whose number nearly doubled to 222,000 compared with 112,000 a year earlier. Data consumption via fibre optics also recorded exceptional growth, reaching 397 petabytes compared with 189 petabytes.

Upgraded VDSL copper lines remained the most data-intensive technology with 587 petabytes consumed and a subscriber base of 479,000.

Meanwhile, traditional ADSL lines continued to decline, with subscriptions dropping from 639,000 to 461,000 during the same period, while related data traffic fell from 518 petabytes to 399 petabytes.

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