Internet access in Morocco reaches 93%
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) issued a report on internet penetration in the Alawi kingdom and the published result is very positive for the Alawi kingdom. According to the agency, internet access in Morocco is expected to reach 93% in the third quarter of 2021.
According to ANRT, the number of people with internet access in Morocco reaches almost 34 million, with a penetration rate of 93% in this year 2021, which means an increase of more than 17% compared to last year. "The scope of the internet stands at 33.86 million subscribers, which brings the penetration rate to 93.24%," the ANRT said in a statement issued on the evolution of internet access in the North African country.
Internet use via mobile devices continues to be the majority in Morocco, with 31 million subscribers (an annual increase of 18%), although fibre optic connections have also seen an increase of almost 82%, with 330,185 users. Lower data rate ADSL connections stabilised at 1.6 million users at the end of September 2021, with more than 43% of subscribers having access to speeds of 10 Mbps or more, as reported by Challenge.
The ANRT report noted that 2.46 million Moroccans have fixed telephony contracts, up 6.94 per cent from 2020. In terms of traffic, more than 14 billion minutes of mobile phone usage were recorded in the third quarter of the year, equivalent to a small increase of 0.65 per cent compared to the last quarter of 2020. Text message traffic increased by 6.89% to 762 million messages, while average monthly mobile device usage fell by 6.68% to 93 minutes, down from 100 minutes last year.
Regarding website creation, Morocco's signature internet domain (.ma) registered almost 103,000 new additions by the end of September 2021, showing another increase of more than 14 per cent year-on-year.
The report explained that these rises are due to increased web browsing related to new habits acquired during this coronavirus pandemic, with more internet activity and less personal contact and increased social digitisation, with teleworking as one of the top exponents of this new phase. Online education, boosted by protective measures in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, and the increased role of e-commerce have also led to an increase in internet penetration in Morocco. ANRT specified that 75% of subscribers increased their telephone line usage during the period of the 2020 confinement, while 80% increased internet consumption due to teleworking, distance learning and online shopping.
Morocco's new government led by Aziz Akhannouch also reported that one of its priorities is to continue to promote internet accessibility and boost digital business as one of the most important options for the future.
