Telecom regulation agency moves to encourage home-internet

Morocco's agency of telecoms regulation (ANRT) has authorized the Moroccan phone and Internet company (Maroc-Telecom "IAM") to sell, starting next January, a new offer for high and low-speed internet "in order to encourage home-internet).

The ARNT announced this Friday the offer includes access without subscription, lower price for Internet and ADSL packages.

Maroc-Telecom was authorized to sell subscription-free and ADSL high-speed Internet and charge lower lump tariffs.

The price of an hour of Internet connection will decrease by 40% to stand at 12 DH per hour (US$ 1.2) in order to allow Internet-services providers to market the service. It will also start selling Internet packages at a price that has been lowered by 20% to 41%.

The third aspect of reforms concern high-speed with ADSL connection tariff to be cut by 25% (360 DH or US$ 36).

Access fees were also reduced by 42% from 1,199 DH to 700 DH while transit fees for ISPs will go down from 450,000 DH per month to 330,000 DH.