Three decades of a connected Morocco [INTÉGRAL]

It first took the form of a few engineers working around computers all over the world at the end of the 1970s. Throughout the 1980s, rumors spread among computer specialists. IT: soon, it will be possible to connect computers together to “share piles of data”. Since then, the rumor has continued to circulate, among specialists and neophytes, in the form of 4G waves and speeds in ADSL or Optical Fiber. “The first connection to the Internet from Morocco was inaugurated on November 15, 1995. The first services offered were e-mail, file transfer (FTP), remote working (TELNET), and newsgroups (USENET)”, underlines the site of the Maroc Telecom Museum. If other countries have already celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Internet event, the Kingdom of Morocco is preparing to mark the occasion and, at the same time, to look back to see the extent of the Influence of the Internet on its society.

Beginnings of a new era

Younes Zakraji, a computer scientist, well into his forties, tells us about his first “Internet surfing” sessions with a lot of nostalgia: “Several years passed between the moment when the Internet was inaugurated in Morocco, and the moment when it was really made its appearance in the first Moroccan homes. Around 1997, access was possible thanks to the 54K modem, with the very characteristic sound it made when connecting and a derisory speed compared to the speeds that are currently available. Beyond connectivity, the evolution of the Internet in Morocco and elsewhere has also gone through the evolution of the computers used and the content available on the Web. “During the first years of the Internet, there was not yet the abundance of sites and even fewer social networks. Apart from the “Chat Room”, no YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia or online payment,” says our interlocutor.

Revolution in progress

“The Internet subsequently enabled and catalyzed the development of a range of products. From hardware to software, the Web has gradually transformed simultaneously with the advent and democratization of mobile phones and then smartphones,” continues the same source. After the first decade of use by the general public, the Internet has established itself and deeply interfered in the daily and social life of Moroccans (see Interview). “Today, the Internet is a bit like the real world since we find the best and the worst coexisting in the same virtual space. With this hindsight of 30 years, we are only just beginning to realize how much our lives have been impacted by this formidable technology which allows us to work, communicate, be informed and entertained,” said the computer scientist. A reality that was also largely confirmed during the health crisis in 2020, when the whole world had to resort to the Internet to circumvent the limitations of confinement.
Future issues.

Even today, the various visions of Internet aficionados are opposed: between those who believe that the Internet must remain free and promote a culture of sharing, and others who think that it must still be supervised and regulated. uses. “The Internet is today the support for other “digital innovations” which are essential: Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrencies are some telling examples,” explains Younes Zakraji. The digitalization of services, including administrative ones, is also a dynamic that continues both at the national and international level. In Morocco, this same digitalization is even being used as a means to optimize the socio-economic development of the country. “The implementation of the “Digital Morocco 2030” strategy is one of the major axes of the government roadmap for the promotion of employment,” the head of the government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch. Has the Internet become vital for the lives of Moroccans? The answer is yes, as long as the use of digital technology is done with responsibility, intelligence and without excess.

Omar ASSIF

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