Maroc Telecom and Motorola Sign $47 mln Contract

Motorola, a US leading mobile phone company, has signed with Morocco's telecom operator Maroc Telecom a $47 million network infrastructure expansion deal.

The deal contracts Motorola, through its Global Telecom Solutions, to provide the new generation of Horizon macro GSM 900 megahertz base stations for the regions of Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier, Tetouan, Fes, Meknes, Casablanca and El-Jadida.

"This contract demonstrates...that our business partnership is continuing strongly into the future," Jeff Cherif, general manager of Motorola's Middle East and Africa Telecom Carrier Solutions Group, said in a statement.

"It is indicative of the growing demand for wireless services throughout the Middle East and Africa... This trend is expected to continue as network operators, such as Maroc Telecom, prepare for entry into Global Packet Radio System (GPRS) services and solutions for their customers," he added.

French media giant Vivendi Universal holds a 35 percent stake in state-run Maroc Telecom, which has about three million mobile phone users and around 1.43 million fixed-line telephone subscribers.