Morocco has developed one of the most advanced telecommunications markets in Africa, supported by the governments Maroc Digital 2020 strategy to encourage the development of a digital economy and the National Broadband Plan which aims to provide fixe...
Morocco has developed one of the most advanced telecommunications markets in Africa, supported by the government's Maroc Digital 2020 strategy to encourage the development of a digital economy and the National Broadband Plan which aims to provide fixed or mobile broadband to the entire population by 2022, says a report published by ResearchAndMarkets.com.
According to the study, part-privatised incumbent operator Maroc Telecom remains the dominant player in the fixed line sector but it has effective competition in the mobile sector. Orange Group has entered the market through the acquisition of a major stake in Mdi Telecom.
The fixed broadband market is dominated by Maroc Telecom and despite regulatory efforts to enforce LLU and wholesale pricing, there is little in the way of access to its networks. As a result, the fixed line broadband market has not developed to its potential.
The report says a small number of operators, including Inwi and Orange Morocco, have begun to offer competing DSL services, albeit limited in reach. Despite these market limitations and Maroc Telecom's near-monopoly, Morocco has developed some of the lowest broadband prices and highest penetration rates in Africa, it says.
The firm said this has been helped by the excellent connectivity to international fibre cables. It notes that the introduction and extension of mobile broadband services have gone far to improving access nationally. By mid-2019, mobile internet accounted for 93.2 percent of all internet connections, leaving Maroc Telecom's DSL service with most of the remainder.
Original Source: https://www.telecompaper.com/news/morocco-telecom-market-among-most-advanced-in-africa-but-maroc-telecom-dominates-fixed-sector--1312569
