5G regulation and law in Mauritius

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) is the regulatory body for the ICT sector in Mauritius, established under the Information and Communication Technologies Act 2001 (ICT Act 2001).

There are three mobile network operators in Mauritius, namely state-owned Mauritius Telecom (MT), Emtel Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Ltd (MTML). The three operators were granted 5G licenses in June 2021, following consultation between the ICTA and the carriers in April 2021 for spectrum enabling the operators to deploy 5G networks.

The current 5G networks in Mauritius are not SA as they are built on top of existing mobile telecommunications networks. 

For MT subscribers, the 5G experience was initially restricted to business and commercial communities including Ebène Cybercity and Bagatelle Mall where  demand for bandwidth was on the rise. Coverage was extended to the University of Mauritius at the same time.  

5G is widely available in Mauritius. 1  Emtel now covers 5G in approximately 80% of the island for both residential and commercial purposes and not restricted to particular sectors. 2  

In addition, as from 1st September 2024, citizens aged 18 to 25  are able to benefit from a free monthly mobile data package of up to 200 gigabytes working both on 4G and 5G networks frominternet service providers. 3

While the government provides free Wi-Fi hotspots around the island, the 5G coverage is not available in all of these locations which include several community centres, health centres, hospitals and public cultural landmarks. The airport, however, provides limited free Wi-Fi to the public.

Both MT and Emtel have been upgrading their equipment to ensure better and wider 5G coverage around the island.

Subject to the ICT Act 2001, any person who wishes to obtain, transfer, renew, or vary the terms of, a licence for the operation of an information and communication network or service, including a telecommunication network or service as specified in the legislation, either of his own motion or upon invitation, may make a written application to the Authority in the appropriate form.

Spectrum license applications are generally submitted to the ICTA subject to eligibility conditions. The ICTA assessment criteria are not made public. To establish transparency and fair competition, each license, together with its terms and conditions, is publicly available on the ICTA website.

Save for consultation with MT, Emtel and MTML in 2021 for 5G roll-out, the ICTA has not published any invitation for bids in relation to spectrum licenses in the recent years. 4

The ICTA has not made any long-term spectrum announcement as at date. It should be noted that following the change in government, ICTA’s planned activities may be on hold for some time.

The ICTA is empowered to issue guidelines and directives to service operators. However, no5G-specific rules have been published. 5 5

No spectrum sharing agreement has been made publicly available as at date. With 5G being deployed on existing network infrastructure, there is currently no focused 5G network. The ICTA has  not issued regulations or directives in relation to spectrum sharing. Carriers operate with 5G and 4G LTE co-existence. For instance, Emtel considers the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands to be used for LTE/5G to improve network coverage and capacity, while MTML uses 1800 MHz for LTE. MT and Cellplus Ltd plan to repurpose the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands for LTE and 5G technologies amidst the phase-out of GSM operations.

In April 2021, the ICTA invited the three main PLMN operators (MT, Emtel and MTML) to athe consultation on deployment of the 5G network. The three operators were granted the license in June 2021 for 5G roll-out. The regulator has not issued any communiqué pertaining to rules which would be applicable to competitors so these parties can access 5G networks.

Operators in Mauritius implement technologies as per  equipment standards imposed by the ICTA. The Ministry of ICT and the ICTA have not made any comments in relation to cybersecurity risk linked to Chinese technology as at date.

The expansion of 5G cover remains a priority for Mauritius as the coverage is not fully deployed on all over the island. There have been no recent development or announcement made in relation to 6G as at date.