2013 Morocco - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband

Morocco - Vivendi’s sale of its 53% stake in Maroc Telecom raises €4.2 billion

Morocco benefits from having one of the most advanced telecommunications markets in Africa. The sector is efficiently managed by an independent regulator, and developments within the market segments are often used as a model in other countries.

With an effectively competitive mobile sector, Morocco also has one of the highest penetration rates in the region. The three mobile network operators have become the main internet service providers through their networks, which are expected to be upgraded with LTE technology by the end of 2014 following the auction of suitable spectrum.

Vivendi’s sale of its 53% stake in MT in late 2013 to Etisalat is expected to introduce a new dynamic to a company which has been obliged to reduce the number of employees in recent years in a bid to cut operating costs.

The fixed-line market remains underdeveloped despite the launch of a second and third network operator to compete with Maroc Telecom. Fixed-line penetration has fallen since 2010 while the number of lines is expected to fall to about 2.9 million by the end of 2014. This reflects consumers’ preference for mobile services.

A similar trend is seen in the broadband market, where the dominance of Maroc telecom’s ADSL service has waned dramatically in recent years. Having once accounted for over 90% of the market, by the end of 2013 ADSL represented only 15% of internet subscribers, with 3G representing almost 85%. Nevertheless, fixed-line infrastructure is being upgraded as part of the government’s ten-year National Broadband Plan which aims to provide fixed or mobile broadband access to the entire population by 2022.

Market highlights:

• Majority stake in Maroc Telecom sold to Etisalat;
• Commercial LTE services expected in late 2014 or early 2015;
• New terabit international fibre optic cable lands;
• Fixed-mobile convergence strengthens;
• Mobile broadband accounting for 85% of all internet connections;
• National Broadband Plan 2012-2022;
• Mobile subscriptions continue to grow at 8%.

Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year