Editing Telecommunications in Morocco

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The following is an outline of '''[[Information and communications technology|communications technology]] in [[Morocco]]'''.

==Telecoms industry==
While the Moroccan [[Telecommunications|telecoms]] market remains under-saturated, its three mobile operators –– both at home and abroad –– have experienced robust growth in recent years. [[Meditel]], which received a mobile licence in 2000, is the kingdom's first private operator, holding 36.69% of the market. While the company performed strongly last year, registering a 17% growth in client base (to 7.4m) over the first three quarters of 2008, it began to falter as [[consumer spending]] slowed, resulting in a 1% annual increase in turnover for Q2 2009. Meditel's focus on lower-income markets impacted their average revenue per user, which fell by 16%, but the resulting expansion of the customer base helped drive up the country's mobile penetration rate from 65.7% in 2007 to 74% in 2008. Meditel's biggest competitor is [[Maroc Telecom]], holding 60.71% of the market. A former [[state monopoly]] now controlled by French entertainment giant [[Vivendi]], Maroc Telecom is one of the region's fastest-growing [[multinational corporation|multinational]] telecoms operators, actively pursuing expansion across northwest Africa, including [[Gabon]], [[Mauritania]] and [[Burkina Faso]]. MT has announced plans to create a fibre-optic network connecting the Moroccan cities [[Laâyoune]] and [[Dakhla, Western Sahara|Dakhla]] to [[Nouadhibou]], which would ultimately be extended to other [[North Africa]]n countries.

Meditel and MT operated a duopoly until 2008, when the state regulator Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécommunications waved in [[Wana (Telecommunications)|Wana]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091021006013/en/Research-Markets-Morocco---Telecoms-Mobile-Broadband|title=Research and Markets: Morocco - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/bright-future-12174.html|title=Bright future|work=ArabianBusiness.com|access-date=2017-11-24|language=en}}</ref> owned by Morocco's [[Omnium Nord Africain]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/morocco-wana/onas-wana-wins-moroccos-third-mobile-licence-idUSL475650020090204|title=ONA's Wana wins Morocco's third mobile licence|date=2009|work=Reuters|access-date=2017-11-24}}</ref> Though holding a tiny share (2.6%) of the voice market, this new player has captured a majority of the [[3G]] market (69.11%). Total subscribers for this new technology increased 527% in 2008. Earlier this year, Wana sold a 31% stake for €228m to the partnership of two [[Kuwait]]i companies, mobile operator [[Zain Group|Zain]] and Al Ajial Investment Fund Holding,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncqqQra-2ToC&q=wana+sold+a+31%25+stake+to+kuwaiti+company&pg=PA135|title=The Report: Morocco 2011|date=2010|publisher=Oxford Business Group|isbn=9781907065309|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fs0Fog7XneUC&q=wana+sold+a+31%25+stake+to+kuwaiti+company&pg=PA94|title=The Report: Morocco 2012|date=2012|publisher=Oxford Business Group|isbn=9781907065545|language=en}}</ref> to help finance the roll out of its 15-year [[2G]] GSM network at the end of 2009.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}} In August 2019, the government signed a MAD 10 billion investment deal with Maroc Telecom to improve telecom infrastructure in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/08/281134/moroccan-government-maroc-telecom-investment-deal/|title=Moroccan Government Signs MAD 10 Billion Investment Deal with Maroc Telecom|date=2019-08-26|website=Morocco World News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-27}}</ref>

==Telephone system==
*main lines in use: 3.28 million (2007) : estimation
*mobile cellular: 47.25 million [135% of the total population] (2015) : estimation
source:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/morocco/|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-08-01}}</ref>

===Domestic telephone system===
Morocco has a constantly failing system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and [[microwave radio]] relay links. The [[internet]] is available but slow, and overpriced in comparison to Europe and the United States. The principal switching centers are [[Casablanca]] and [[Rabat]]. An improved rural service employs microwave radio relay.

===International telephone system===
The system has seven submarine cables, three satellite earth stations, two [[Intelsat]] (over the [[Atlantic Ocean]]) and one [[Arabsat]]. There is a microwave radio relay to [[Gibraltar]], [[Spain]] and the [[Western Sahara]]. [[Coaxial cable]]s and microwave radio relays exist to [[Algeria]]. Morocco  is a participant in Medarabtel and a fiber-optic cable links from [[Agadir]] to Algeria and [[Tunisia]].

==Radio broadcast==
First radio service began in 1928 in Morocco.<ref>{{cite web|author=Yushi Chiba |title=Media History of Modern Egypt: A Critical Review |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2433/155745|publisher=Kyoto Working Papers on Area Studies: G-COE Series|page=6|year=2010|hdl=2433/155745}}</ref>

*[[amplitude modulation|AM]] stations 25,
*[[frequency modulation|FM]] stations 31,
*[[shortwave radio|shortwave]] 11 (2007)
*Radio sets: 7.78 million (2007)

==Television==
*Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 35 repeaters) (2007)
*Televisions receivers: 5.6 million (2007)

==Internet==
{{main|Internet in Morocco}}
*[[Internet Service Providers]] (ISPs): 8 (2017)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/WorldStats/CIA-Internet-Service-Providers-ISPs.html|title=Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - The World Factbook - CIA|access-date=January 17, 2018|website=Nations Encyclopedia}}</ref>
*[[Country code top-level domain|ccTLD]] (country code top-level domain): [[.ma]]
The country had more than 16.3M of internet users in 2012.<ref>Africa Internet Statistics</ref>
Operated by [[Maroc Telecom]] (IAM). The service started as a test in November 2002 before it was launched in October 2003 and it is one of the most technologically advanced Internet services in the African continent but the service is monopolised by IAM. The service is offered by the subsidiary [[Menara, Maroc Telecom|Menara]].The company is the best in the Moroccan market in the ADSL, optic fiber and they offers the following options:

Personal ADSL (All of those offers are available with a 12 months or above engagement) :

*Menara [[ADSL]] 4&nbsp;Mbit/s  200MAD (Around 17$)
*Menara [[ADSL]] 8&nbsp;Mbit/s
*Menara [[ADSL]] 2+ 12&nbsp;Mbit/s
*Menara [[ADSL]] 2+ 20&nbsp;Mbit/s
*[[Maroc Telecom|IAM]] [[optic fiber]] 100&nbsp;Mbit/s 500MAD (Around 44$) 
*[[Maroc Telecom|IAM]] [[optic fiber]] 200&nbsp;Mbit/a 1000MAD (Around 90$)

The installation is free, but the [[ADSL]] [[modem]] or [[router (computing)|router]] is not always free.

[[Maroc Telecom|IAM]] is the only ISP who operate underwater cables and national cables, the things that cause a huge monopoly in the Moroccan market, the other ISPs can always rent a part of the leader's infrastructure.

[[Orange Morocco]] offers [[ADSL]], [[optic fiber]] and [[4G+]] but their connexions is considered as the weakest in the country according to [[Ookla]] .

[[INWI (telecommunications)|INWI]] offers [[ADSL]], [[optic fiber]] and [[4G+]] the internet provided by [[INWI]] is lower than IAM refers to [[Ookla]] but they have the largest coverage and the highest bandwidth when it comes to 4G+ referred to [[Network Performance]] which makes the IPS great for those who uses mobile data.

Mobile data prices (Without engagement) :

The plans are 0,5&nbsp;GB (500&nbsp;MB), 1&nbsp;GB, 2&nbsp;GB, 2,5&nbsp;GB, 3&nbsp;GB, 5&nbsp;GB, 10&nbsp;GB and 20&nbsp;GB
To calculate the price of each plan, multiple the number of GBs by 10 and you should get the price in MAD.

==See also==
* [[Ministry of Communications of Morocco]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070608074425/http://www.hottelecom.com/morocco-copr.html Morocco Telecom market]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4083131.stm Maroc Telecom IPO]
* [http://www.mtds.com MTDS Licensed Moroccan ISP]

{{Economy of Morocco}}
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[[Category:Telecommunications in Morocco| ]]
[[Category:Internet in Morocco]]
[[Category:Communications in Morocco| ]]