Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) has officially invited telcos to submit tenders for 5G licences that will enable them to launch commercial services by November.

According to a statement issued by ANRT on Friday, the regulator has prepared “call for competition” documents that set out the regulatory provisions and the technical and financial conditions under which each 5G network will be established.

The documents also specify the terms and conditions for providing commercial 5G services, coverage and quality-of-service obligations, as well as the terms and conditions governing the process and the evaluation of bids.

The statement didn’t specify a timeline, but Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Morocco’s Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, said at the end of last year that the government wants to see 5G rollouts to commence by November 2025 before the start of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The ministry expects 5G networks to cover 25% of the population by the end of 2026, and 70% by the end of 2030.

ANRT said in its statement that 5G is part of the government’s the Maroc Digital 2030 strategy, with the aim of equipping Morocco with the latest mobile tech to support its economic and social development, as well as “meet the specific needs of industry, transportation, healthcare, and agriculture.”

Morocco’s telcos have been gearing up for 5G in recent months.

Last month, Orange Maroc signed a partnership deal with Ericsson to support its planned rollout of standalone 5G.

In March this year, Maroc Telecom and Inwi signed an expanded partnership agreement to consolidate parts of their passive telecom infrastructure to speed up deployment of fibre optic and 5G technologies across the country.