Rabat - About 9,225 out of 10,740 “territorial areas” across Morocco have access to the internet, according to recent data from the government.

Ghita Mezzour, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, shared the new data during a hearing session at the House of Representatives on Monday.

In response to a question from MPs, the minister said that 9,255 territorial areas are covered by the internet as part of the first phase of the 2018-2023 plan for the development of broadband and very high-speed connections.

Mezzour said her ministry is planning the launch of the second phase of the plan to cover 1,700 new areas, vowing that the remaining areas will be covered by internet before the end of next year.

The minister’s announcement comes as Morocco continues to invest in expanding internet coverage across the country.

Last year, a report by Morocco’s National Agency for Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT) said that the number of internet users in the country stood at 93% in the third quarter of the year.

The number of people with internet access, according to the report, reached nearly 34 million in 2022. The figures shown in ANRT’s report represented an increase of more than 17 from a year earlier, suggesting that Morocco's internet coverage has markedly grown in recent years.

Mobile internet remains dominant in Morocco with 31 million subscribers. Fiber optic connections also witnessed an increase of 82% to reach 30,185 users.

But while access to the internet has noticeably increased across Morocco, questions and concerns have remained over the quality of internet services.

A recent report from the market insights firm Open Signal shows that internet experience in Morocco is below the international average in terms of quality.

While the report indicates that internet provider Maroc Telecom currently tops the charts in the country for providing the “best internet” experience, the internet upload speed is almost 50% slower than the international average of 60 Mbps.

According to the report, the “best” upload speed in Morocco is 9.7 Mbps, below the world average of 25 Mbps.

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