More than 10,640 rural areas were covered by 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation telecommunications services between 2018 and 2024, as part of the implementation of the first phase of the National Broadband and Very High Speed Plan (PNHD) , indicated, Monday in the House of Representatives, the Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni.
In response to oral questions on digital services in mountainous areas, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni clarified that this coverage equates to an achievement rate of around 99%, adding that the few remaining rural areas will be served by satellite technology, coverage by terrestrial networks being difficult for geographical reasons.
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Alongside the official launch of the national strategy “ Digital Morocco 2030“, a second phase of the PNHD was launched with the aim of serving 1,800 rural areas with low or no coverage by 2026, within a maximum period of 15 months from the start date of the works of this tranche, carried out with support from the Universal Telecommunications Service Fund, she noted.
The Minister Delegate highlighted that these areas were jointly inventoried by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency and local authorities, noting that for areas difficult to cover with terrestrial networks, the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) initiative has been approved with the aim of providing satellite telecommunications services using VSAT type technologies.
Any customer located in areas not covered by terrestrial broadband services can benefit from financial support for each subscription to the satellite Internet service from an approved service provider, provided that the support granted does not exceed 2,500 dirhams for each VSAT subscription, within the limits of 400 beneficiaries per year, while ensuring coverage in fiber optic networks, specified Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni.
With MAP
