Page 19 - U4SSC Factsheet, Bizerte, Tunisia, June 2020

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark 1 SDG

Fixed Broadband 35.77 %
Subscriptions

Wireless Broadband
Subscriptions 39 971.65
(per 100 000
inhabitants)

Household Internet
Access 85.70 %

Wireless Broadband
Coverage – 3G 100.00 %

Wireless Broadband
Coverage – 4G 46.00 %

Availability of WI-FI in 0.00 Spots No Benchmark Available
Public Areas

The analysis of Bizerte's economy starts with its connectivity KPIs.

Mobile internet is prevalent, with 100 per cent of the city served by 3G wireless broadband. Prevalence
of 4G wireless broadband, however, remains comparatively lower, at 46 per cent. With no public Wi-
Fi hotspots in the city, it becomes even more important to enable the kind of fast mobile internet
connectivity that the later generations provide, especially with today's data-hungry mobile applications
demanding at least 4G network speeds. And with many developed cities looking to move onto 5G
connectivity soon, there is a need, as well as an opportunity, within the city to partner with the private
sector to upgrade Bizerte's existing cell towers and related infrastructure to 4G technology – while
utilizing the occasion to simultaneously assess and plan for eventual 5G infrastructure.

Residential adoption of internet is high, with 85.7 per cent of the city's households having internet
access. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that the average
household internet penetration rate is approximately 30 per cent around the globe. Bizerte's reported
figures are significantly higher than this global average. However, at present, Bizerte has minimal use
of ICTs for monitoring and smart city applications.

Optimizing smart, sustainable ICTs: Engagement with more developed cities and their experiences
should be explored to determine the best ways to implement ICTs that will have a positive impact on

1 Benchmark performance is represented by four ranges (1) 0 – 33% of target, (2) 33 – 66% of target, (3) 66 – 95% of target and (4) 95+%
of target. The number of coloured circles indicates where the city’s data fit into those benchmarks

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