Mobilis IoT

Overview of Mobilis

Mobilis is the largest mobile operator in Algeria, under the state-owned Algérie Télécom. By the end of 2023, it had about 22.51 million users, with a market share of approximately 43.70%, leading Djezzy (about 15.89 million, 30.86%) and Ooredoo (about 13.10 million, 25.44%). Mobile penetration in Algeria is about 116.5%. Mobilis leads in the 3G market, with Djezzy second in the overall market. The three operators occupy 100% of the Algerian mobile market.

Mobilis provides IoT connectivity for Algerian enterprises, supporting scenarios such as smart cities, government digitization, and industrial IoT.

Development History and Milestones

Mobilis was established in 1999 as the mobile brand of Algérie Télécom. After the Algerian mobile market opened, Djezzy and Ooredoo entered. Mobilis, relying on its state-owned background and fixed-line synergy, continued to expand. By 2022, it had about 21.09 million users, increasing to 22.51 million in 2023. Mobilis leads in 3G coverage and quality, with the highest overall market share.

Core Technical Capabilities

IoT Applications

Mobilis provides IoT connectivity in Algeria, with 4G covering major cities. Smart cities, government digitalization, and industrial IoT are being promoted in places like Algiers. Its state-owned background gives it advantages in government and large projects.

Competitive Advantages

• Largest share: About 44% of the Algerian market, and 22.51 million users
• 3G: Leads on 3G coverage and quality
• State ownership: Used on government projects and by large enterprises
• Fixed and mobile: Works with the Algérie Télécom fixed network

How the State Mobile Network Fits with Its Fixed-Line Parent

Third generation is still the real bearer in many towns

Mobilis is the mobile brand of Algérie Télécom. The radio technologies are GSM, WCDMA, and LTE. The local market treats it as the network with the more solid 3G coverage, so an IoT device should not have UMTS removed from the firmware. GSM and WCDMA at 900 MHz cover the edges of towns and the highways. 3G at 2100 MHz and LTE at 1800 MHz are stacked in large cities such as Algiers. In an inland provincial capital there is often 4G on the street and only 3G at the edge of a plant. Fifth generation has not become the default IoT layer on this network. Write the power and antenna budgets with LTE as the primary bearer and 3G as the bearer after a failure. The parent's fixed network and fiber carry both base-station backhaul and wired access inside government and enterprise buildings, so a campus project may have a mobile SIM at the gate and a fixed circuit in the equipment room at the same time. Address planning and the fault interface are not the same set.

Public projects prefer an on-net circuit to public roaming

The state-owned background means government procurement and large public institutions prefer to sign connectivity with a local entity. The cycle is long, the attachments are many, and acceptance looks at a field attach rather than at marketing language. A private APN often appears together with a fixed circuit or an L2TP tunnel, so meters and video gateways can be sent back to the institution's own address range. Public roaming, and long-term residence of a foreign SIM, are often outside what this kind of tender will accept. The working languages are French and Arabic. Technical attachments have to be readable without an English platform. Compared with the general capabilities of an IoT SIM, what matters here is a local account, a local invoice, and on-net quality, rather than one SIM traveling through many countries. Consumer plans limit hotspot use and long periods online. Public collection should use an enterprise data product, and the order should state whether SMS, voice, and data are each enabled, so a test that only checks internet access does not fail later on alarm SMS.

Imported modules and the technical annex of a tender

Modules, in-vehicle terminals, and meter concentrators imported in bulk all need radio type approval and serial-number registration before they are shipped. That cannot be bypassed after arrival by swapping SIMs on site. The approval documents, a technical description in French, and the antenna gain need to fit in the tender annex. The APN, the username, and the authentication method follow the Mobilis enterprise account form. Do not reuse another Algerian brand's access-point name. Split the test into urban LTE, 3G fallback in a town, and wired backhaul on the campus, and record each part. If the project requires data not to leave the country, write the egress point and the log location into the contract. Do not assume the mobile network will send traffic to a cloud abroad. Power cuts and administrative controls on data both interrupt the public network, so an edge device needs a local cache. In-building cabling that the fixed-line parent can provide does not automatically include indoor mobile coverage. A basement and a metal plant still need their own coverage survey, and that survey record should be attached to the acceptance form.

Sign the fixed circuit and the mobile SIM on separate sheets

Campus acceptance is clearer as two sheets. One records the address, the gateway, and the fault contact for the fixed circuit in the equipment room. The other records the network code, the band, and the APN read by the vehicle terminal or the gate terminal. Both sheets are signed, so a working wired link is not treated as proof that the wireless link also works. List basements, metal tank farms, and elevator shafts outside the cellular commitment. If the tender asks for a description in French, a screenshot of an English portal is not a deliverable. A sample locked to LTE only in central Algiers does not represent 3G at 900 MHz on the edge of a town. Fallback has to be measured outside the plant fence. Keep the serial-number registration receipt with the device file. After a repair replaces the module, register it again. Do not keep the old serial number. Prefer IPv4 for the data context, and fall back if a dual-stack request fails. Count an alarm SMS in Arabic by its double-byte length. Congestion on the parent's fixed network at a busy hour does not show up in the signal bars of the mobile SIM. If a video gateway uses the fixed circuit, watch packet loss at the busy hour on that circuit, rather than only the phone signal. Antenna gain, feeder length, and install height in the tender should match what actually arrives. Before a higher-gain antenna is fitted, confirm that the type approval still covers it. Do not write 3G at 900 MHz on the edge of a town and LTE at 1800 MHz in the city as the same power budget. Size the battery for the worse of the two layers.

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