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With more than 6 000 employees and some 6 million subscribers for mobile and landline telephones, Tunisie Telecom works to consolidate Tunisia’s telecommunications infrastructure and increase levels of network coverage. The rollout of a 4G mobile network is a key element in this.
The Horizon 2020-backed loan – the first under InnovFin granted to a non-EU beneficiary – will finance the development of 1 500 cell sites housing antennae and electronic communications equipment and 2 000 km of fibre optic cables, thereby putting the necessary infrastructure in place for the creation of the network.
“We are very proud to establish this partnership with the EIB and to benefit from a loan that will support Tunisie Telecom in the development of its networks and the achievement of its commercial objectives,” says Tunisie Telecom CEO Nizar Bouguila.
The partnership comes against the background of wider-ranging EIB financial support for Tunisia, which has totalled EUR 1.4 billion in loans for public- and private-sector projects throughout the country since the 2011 revolution. These loans – which were aimed at creating opportunities for young Tunisians and promoting jobs, growth and stability in the region – have mobilised a further EUR 3.4 billion of investment.
The Tunisie Telecom agreement was one of several finance contracts signed by EIB President Werner Hoyer during his visit to Tunisia in November 2016. With a total value of EUR 389.1 million, the contracts reflect the EIB’s commitment to helping Tunisia with its economic and social development.
Hoyer announced on his trip that Tunisia would receive up to EUR 2.5 billion worth of support by 2020 with a view to fostering inclusive and sustainable growth, the main source of jobs for young people..