Three millions internet users in Morocco, official

The number of Internet subscribers in Morocco has reached three millions, revealed, in Marrakech Monday, Minister delegate in charge of Economic and General Affairs, Rachid Talbi Alami who outlined Morocco's National Action Plan aiming at providing easy access to Internet for the population.

The Minister, who was addressing the inaugural meeting of the Arab-African follow-up Conference of the World Summit on the Information Society (November 22-24), said that Morocco's efforts are part of the Action Plan drawn at the Geneva Summit. He said the Government has encouraged initiatives for a greater access to the Internet by reducing costs and increasing the flow thanks to the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), a new technology that allows more data to be sent over existing copper telephone lines.

The Moroccan official also recalled the government-sponsored program called "Internet for everybody" that allows people to acquire, at an affordable price, a computer with one-year access to Internet.

The conference was opened by Communication minister, Nabil Benabedallah who said Morocco is keen, as recommended by the 2003 Geneva action plan, to strive for the edification of a community of information founded on a full-fledged partnership between governments and the civil society.

The minister insisted that the technological progress and the swift evolution of communication should not be a source of additional inequality, impoverishment and exclusion of a part of humanity.