Wireless internet in Morocco

2007-04-24

Wireless internet is on the rise in Morocco but is facing restrictions laid down by the National Telecommunications Regulation Agency. Magharebia speaks with Aziz Bouabe, managing director of FirstMile Telekom, to learn the latest news on developments in this high-tech sector.

By Adam Mahdi for Magharebia in Casablanca – 24/04/2007

[Adam Mahdi] Bouabe says Morocco is missing out on the opportunity to use wireless LANs

Deregulation of the telecommunications industry has led to sustained development of wireless internet technology, despite restrictions laid down by the National Telecommunications Regulation Agency (ANRT) which administers the sector. Aziz Bouabe, managing director of FirstMile Telekom, which specializes in wireless technology, discussed the current state of the Moroccan Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) market.

Magharebia: At what stage is Morocco’s wireless technology sector, in your opinion?

Aziz Bouabe: I think that as is the case in a variety of developing countries, Wi-Fi technology is at an early stage. In Morocco’s case, it is lagging behind because of a lack of activity on the part of telecoms operators. For example, on the European market operators have boosted Wi-Fi by increasing the number of hotspots since 2003. This has enabled people to use the technology more widely, both within companies and in people’s homes.

Nonetheless, due to the deregulation of the ICT [Information and Communications Technology] market and telecommunications in particular, the trend is moving in the other direction because new entrants to the market are investing heavily in wireless services and technology.

On the other hand, the country is suffering from a lack of qualified staff in the field. We have plenty of landline network experts but very few specialists in wireless technology.

We need to do something about all these issues because Wi-Fi represents a real opportunity to develop ICT in this country. It’s a viable alternative to our costly cable network both in terms of price and the time it takes to set up.

Magharebia: What do you think of Morocco’s potential for developing this technology?

Bouabe: I’m optimistic about the future of Wi-Fi. It’s a huge growth area internationally. For both business and private customers, using wireless technology makes more sense from both a financial and a technical point of view than using landline technology. Moroccan operators are now beginning to turn to Wi-Fi and are setting up hotspots in airports, hotels and public places.

With regard to the human resources issue, young graduates arriving on the labour market with strong backgrounds in wireless technology are beginning to eat away at the lack of skilled workers.

Magharebia: What about the regulatory restrictions on Wi-Fi use?

Bouabe: Wi-Fi for indoor use (Wireless LAN) is being hampered by a number of restrictions due to the regulations laid down by the ANRT.

In fact, in Morocco two connected buildings on a single site (such as a university or factory) are considered an outdoor connection and are treated as such, which means advance permission needs to be sought from the ANRT. Worse still, a business which wants to link up its network between several buildings on its site has to pay a monthly charge of between 1,000 to 10,000 dirhams.

As a result, Morocco is missing out on the opportunity to use wireless LANs as a real alternative to landline LANs and this is slowing down the process of closing the digital divide, reducing costs and increasing connection speeds… Restrictions on indoor wireless are also leading to instances of fraud as a number of companies are setting up Wi-Fi hotspots of their own without declaring this to the ANRT in order to avoid paying the charges.