Morocco added 500,00 mobile lines in the first quarter, increasing the installed base by 1.28 percent to 39.52 million, according to telecom regulator ANRT. Mobile customers grew by 9 percent from 36.24 million at the end of March 2012. The mobile penetration rate reached 121.51 percent in March, compared to 119.97 percent in December 2012 and 112.59 percent in March 2012. There was little movement in market share on the end of 2012. Maroc Telecom’s share dropped to 45.22 percent from 45.77 percent, Meditel slipped to 29.09 percent from 29.53 percent, and Wana’s rose to 25.69 percent from 24.7 percent.
Fixed lines dropped by 4.39 percent to 3.14 million at the end of March, compared to 3.28 million at the end of December 2012 and fell by 11.3 percent from 3.53 million in March 2012. Maroc Telecom’s share of the fixed market grew to 41.41 percent in the first quarter from 38.69 percent at the end of 2012, while Wana’s market share shrank to 57.71 percent from 60.49 percent. Meditel’s fixed market share was 0.88 percent at the end of March, compared to 0.82 percent at the end of December.
Morocco had 4.06 million internet subscribers at the end of March, of which 3G mobile customers accounted for 82.16 percent and ADSL 17.79 percent. The country had 3.96 million internet customers at the end of December and 3.44 million at the end of March 2012. Maroc Telecom has a 99.93 percent share of Morocco’s 722,701 ADSL customers and a 48.24 percent share of the country’s 3.34 million 3G internet customers in the first quarter. Meditel had a 34.21 percent share of 3G customers and Wana 17.55 percent.
