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In 2016, Inwi filed a complaint with the National Agency of Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT), the regulatory body overseeing Morocco’s telecommunications and postal sectors. Inwi alleged that Maroc Telecom failed to properly implement local loop unbundling, which involves providing new telecom operators access to the infrastructure that connects customers to local telephone exchanges.
In 2017, the ANRT confirmed the validity of Inwi’s complaint, finding that Maroc Telecom had obstructed and delayed competitors’ access to its infrastructure, thereby hindering their ability to provide landline services to customers. As a result, the regulator fined Maroc Telecom 3.3 billion dirhams ($330 million) in 2020 for uncompetitive practices.
This development significantly impacted Maroc Telecom, with the fine potentially exceeding the company’s annual profit of 5.82 billion dirhams ($580 million) in 2022.
BMCI Capital Global Research, a market research firm, noted that “The ruling is anticipated to have a profound impact on Maroc Telecom’s profit margins and distribution strategy for the year 2024 unless the company has made provisions, either in the fourth quarter of 2023 or post-closure.”
In September 2022, reports indicated that Maroc Telecom’s revenue dropped by an annual rate of 1.2%, totaling MAD 17.5 billion ($1.6 billion) by the end of the first half of 2022. Revenues in Morocco specifically declined by an annual rate of 2.2%, averaging MAD 9.561 billion by the end of June 2022.
However, over the first three months of 2023, the telco’s international revenue rose by 7.3% to reach MAD 4.6 billion ($464,169), while revenue from activities in Morocco increased by only 0.6%, reaching MAD 4.7 billion ($474,260).
In May 2024, Maroc Telecom faced additional controversy when it reduced traders’ profit margins on prepaid cards from 7% to 4.5%. This decision sparked outrage and led to the Moroccan Union of Traders and Craftsmen, affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT), calling for an immediate boycott of all its prepaid services until the decision is reversed.
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