Viccenzo Nesci, the president and CEO of Algerian cellco Djezzy GSM, has revealed that the operator has signed up a total of 60,000 3G subscribers in the two weeks since the service was introduced on 5 July, Agence Ecofin reports. The executive divulged the information at a press conference on 17 July, also noting that Djezzy’s management team took its cues from sister company Wind Italy, in order to gain sufficient expertise for the 3G rollout.

As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in October 2013 the ARPT issued 3G concessions to Mobilis, Nedjma and Djezzy. Djezzy received 2×15MHz paired blocks in the 1960MHz-1975MHz and 2150MHz-2165MHz bands. Under the terms set out by its licence, the company is obliged to provide 3G services in Ain Defla, Algiers, Bechar, Blida, Boumerdes, Constantine, Djelfa, El Oued, Mostaganem, Oran, Ouargla, Setif, Skikda and Tizi-Ouzou by the end of 2014. Djezzy GSM launched commercial 3.5G services in seven wilayas (provinces) across the country in July 2014; the operator offers HSPA+ services on both a pre- and post-paid and basis.