Morocco telecom revenue rises as 5G and internet demand grow

Morocco telecom revenue continued to increase during the first quarter of 2026 as stronger demand for high-speed internet services and broader 5G deployment compensated for the ongoing decline in traditional voice communications.

Data released by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) showed that sector revenue rose by 2.89% compared with the same period in 2025, excluding inflation effects. The growth was driven primarily by expanding internet usage, while conventional voice services continued to lose market share.

The Moroccan mobile market reached 57.06 million subscriptions at the end of March, representing a penetration rate of nearly 155%. Postpaid subscriptions climbed by 6.42% to 8.33 million customers, while prepaid services accounted for 48.73 million subscriptions.

Despite subscriber growth, mobile voice activity declined significantly. Outgoing calls fell by 18.79% year on year to 8.45 billion minutes. Average monthly voice usage dropped to 49 minutes per subscriber. SMS traffic also continued its downward trend, decreasing by 9.12% to 340 million messages.

Internet services remained the main engine of expansion. Total internet subscriptions increased by 3.05% to 41.08 million connections. Mobile internet dominated the market with 38.1 million subscriptions.

The rollout of 5G services accelerated across the country. Morocco recorded 3.22 million 5G users by the end of the first quarter. The network was supported by approximately 8,400 base stations that provided coverage to 44% of the population. At the same time, the number of 4G users reached 33.07 million.

Consumer demand for data continued to rise sharply. Average monthly data consumption per customer surged by 48% to 60 gigabytes, underscoring the growing reliance on digital platforms, streaming services, and online content.

Fixed internet services also maintained positive momentum. The fixed-line market, including home internet boxes operating on 4G and 5G networks, expanded to 4.6 million subscriptions.

Excluding cellular internet boxes, fixed-line subscriptions increased by 5.05% to 3.26 million. Fiber-to-the-home services remained the fastest-growing segment. FTTH subscriptions jumped by 32.68% over the year to nearly 1.5 million connections. Around 60% of fiber customers subscribed to packages offering speeds above 50 Mbps.

Traditional fixed-line voice services continued to contract. Traffic declined by 13.94% to 386 million minutes, while average monthly usage reached 40 minutes per subscriber.

The corporate connectivity segment also weakened. According to ANRT’s Data Entreprises observatory, subscriptions to business data links fell by 4.8%, totaling 36,571 connections.

At the same time, Morocco’s digital ecosystem continued to expand. Registrations of internet domain names ending in “.ma” increased by 8.1% year on year to almost 136,000. More than 10,300 new domain names were registered during the first three months of 2026.

The latest figures illustrate a continuing transformation of Morocco’s telecommunications market, where demand for faster internet access, data consumption, and next-generation connectivity is increasingly replacing traditional voice communication services.