Tunisia’s State-Owned Operator Steps Up Fixed and Mobile Network Modernization

Tunisie Telecom selects Dutch firm VC4 to centralize fixed and mobile network data as part of wide modernization backed by €190 million

Tunisia’s state-owned operator Tunisie Telecom has contracted Dutch company VC4 B.V. to centralize inventory management for its nationwide fixed and mobile networks, a move that forms part of a broader operational support systems (OSS) modernization and digital transformation programme. The project, announced on 22 September 2026, will deploy VC4’s Service2Create platform to map transmission equipment, fiber-optic infrastructure, access networks, mobile sites, IP equipment and other network assets and to provide a unified view of location, status and interconnections.

"Tunisie Telecom will be able to centralize data on the various components of its fixed and mobile networks," the operator said in a statement announcing the partnership, highlighting the role of Service2Create in supporting network operations, maintenance and upgrades.

Context and details

The VC4 deal builds on earlier digital infrastructure initiatives by Tunisie Telecom. In 2022 the operator rolled out GeoNetwork, a geospatial system to track network infrastructure and physical assets, and deployed a geocoded address database plus tools to automate service-availability and technical-feasibility assessments and to improve field-team management.

The modernization programme is financed in part by a loan package of up to €190 million secured from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in January 2026. Planned investments under the programme include:

• Upgrading the mobile network from 3G/4G to 5G;
• Expanding the fiber network to connect up to 200,000 households;
• Modernising backbone and core networks;
• Connecting Tunisie Telecom to the MEDUSA submarine cable to strengthen international connectivity.

The timing of the upgrade coincides with intensifying competition in Tunisia’s telecom market. National Telecommunications Authority (INT) data for Q2 2026 show Tunisie Telecom with 4.4 million mobile subscribers versus 6.5 million for Ooredoo and 3.9 million for Orange. In mobile internet subscribers Tunisie Telecom had 3.4 million, trailing Ooredoo’s 4.5 million and ahead of Orange’s 2.9 million. Tunisie Telecom remains the leader in fixed-line services with 1.3 million subscribers, compared with 471,000 for Ooredoo and 329,000 for Orange. In fixed internet Tunisie Telecom had 392,000 subscribers, placing it third behind Ooredoo (489,000) and Orange (398,000).

Outlook

Centralising asset and topology data through VC4’s Service2Create is intended to accelerate maintenance, reduce service interruptions and streamline roll-out of 5G and fibre projects, enabling Tunisie Telecom to better coordinate upgrades funded by the EBRD package. The MEDUSA cable connection and backbone modernisation should improve international capacity, but the operator faces the commercial challenge of closing gaps with Ooredoo in mobile and mobile internet subscribers while defending its dominant fixed-line position.

As data consumption grows and services diversify, Tunisie Telecom’s combined investments in OSS modernisation, 5G upgrades and fibre expansion aim to position the operator to meet rising demand and to operate more efficiently in a competitive domestic market.