The deployment of 5G in Morocco constitutes a major strategic turning point, aimed at modernizing telecommunications and improving the country’s infrastructure. While the goal is to cover 25% of the country by 2026, the project faces several challenges, including operator coordination and regulatory hurdles, which are delaying its progress.
The deployment of 5G technology in Morocco is now a strategic priority for the government, but also a condition imposed by FIFA in anticipation of the 2030 World Cup. This project is supposed to modernize the telecommunications sector and play a central role in the organization of this world-class sporting event. The government’s objective is to cover 25% of the national territory with 5G by 2026, with the ambition of reaching 70% of the population ultimately. However, despite these great ambitions, no concrete measures have yet been implemented, which raises questions about the feasibility of the project and the progress of preparations.
One of the major challenges of 5G deployment lies in the need for telecom operators to coordinate their efforts in order to pool the infrastructures necessary for national coverage. Indeed, the investment costs linked to 5G are particularly high, which encourages operators to look for solutions to share equipment. During the last World Cup, Qatar invested nearly $20 billion to set up adequate telecoms infrastructure. This level of investment underlines the scale of the challenge and the growing pressure on Moroccan authorities to quickly launch calls for tenders for 5G.
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In this context, major players like Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson, as well as Moroccan operators, have already started discussions to prepare the ground for the deployment of 5G. Speed of execution is all the more crucial as FIFA’s technical requirements for the 2030 World Cup require high-performance telecoms infrastructures, capable of managing massive data flows in real time. 5G will play an essential role in broadcasting high-definition audiovisual content, managing viewer data, and supporting technologies such as augmented or virtual reality, which require high bandwidth.
The real revolution of 5G lies not only in the speed of connections, but also in its ability to manage a large number of simultaneous connections and massive data volumes without network saturation. This makes 5G the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, where billions of devices will interact with each other without human intervention, opening up new perspectives in sectors like healthcare, automotive, agriculture or the industry.
Regulatory issues and the strategic rise of Maroc Telecom
To succeed in this deployment on a national scale, it is essential that optical fiber be widespread throughout Moroccan territory. Although optical fiber is already present in certain regions, its coverage remains limited, and its deployment encounters regulatory obstacles. In addition, the current legal framework for telecommunications in Morocco is often considered rigid, particularly with regard to the sharing of infrastructure between operators. This lack of flexibility hinders the sharing of the infrastructures necessary for the deployment of optical fiber and 5G.
Some public companies, such as ONCF, ONEE or ADM, have underutilized fiber optic networks. However, current legislation prohibits them from sharing them with other operators, which slows the expansion of telecoms coverage in the country.
In this context, the influence of Maroc Telecom, a key player in the telecommunications sector, continues to strengthen. The group is posting solid and promising results, as evidenced by its performance during the first nine months of 2024. Maroc Telecom continues to dominate the telecommunications market both in Morocco and Africa, capturing 37% of the market capitalization alone. of the Casablanca Stock Exchange. This share reflects the essential strategic role of the telecoms sector in the development of the digital economy of Morocco and the African continent.
Furthermore, the group was able to maintain robust profitability, with an EBITDA margin of 51.8% and growth of 6.1% in its customer base, reaching nearly 80 million subscribers. Its sustained investments, representing 19.1% of its turnover, illustrate Maroc Telecom’s commitment to meeting the challenge of connectivity, particularly through the rapid deployment of 5G. Its network, already largely compatible with 5G, positions the group to succeed in this area, thus consolidating its status as a leader in the Moroccan and African telecom ecosystem.
At the same time, the continued growth of Moov Africa’s activities, with a 4% increase in its turnover, demonstrates the group’s positive impact on the region. The strong momentum of its mobile data, fixed Internet and mobile money services demonstrates Maroc Telecom’s ability to meet the needs of a constantly changing market.
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