Morocco awards 5G licences to Maroc Telecom, Inwi and Orange

Details: Manny Pham; Category: Regulation; 29 July 2025; 11686 views

Morocco’s telecommunications regulator, the ANRT, has awarded 5G licences to the country’s three main operators - Maroc Telecom, Inwi, and Orange Morocco - raising MAD2.1 billion (US$210 million) for state coffers and marking a major step forward in the country’s national digital transformation agenda.

The ANRT expects the operators to launch commercial 5G services by the end of this year, starting with deployments in several major cities.

The three operators were selected following an evaluation process that assessed their technical and financial capabilities, as well as their commitment to nationwide 5G infrastructure rollout.

Wana, which operates under the Inwi brand, and Maroc Telecom (which runs Itissalat Al-Maghrib) both received a score of 87 out of 100 in the ANRT’s assessment. Medi Telecom, known to consumers as Orange Morocco, scored 85.

As part of their licence agreements, the operators have committed to a range of obligations including infrastructure investment, coverage milestones, and maintaining service quality. Collectively, they plan to invest around MAD80 billion (US$8 billion) over the next decade to support their respective 5G rollouts.

Maroc Telecom paid MAD900 million for 120MHz of spectrum, while Medi Telecom and Wana each paid MAD600 million for 70MHz.

Under the terms of the licences, operators must cover at least 45% of the population with 5G by the end of 2026, ramping up to 85% coverage by 2030.

Speaking at the ANRT board meeting where the licences were approved, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said telecommunications remain a vital pillar of Morocco’s development, essential to improving economic indicators and bridging both digital and geographic divides. He described universal connectivity - including in remote and mountainous areas - as a non-negotiable priority.

The ANRT has been tasked with identifying underserved regions and coordinating a predefined national coverage plan in collaboration with government departments and the private sector.

Morocco currently counts 57 million mobile subscribers and 40 million internet users, giving it an internet penetration rate of 90% - significantly above the African average of 37%. According to ANRT Director General Az-El-Arabe Hassibi, this places Morocco at the top of the International Telecommunication Union’s 2025 ICT Development Index for Africa.