Morocco to increase number of telephone lines

The Moroccan bureau of communications confirmed that its investments in the coming two years will include establishing 900,000 new telephone lines and 170,000 satellite telephone lines in addition to connecting 1,200 villages.

These moves are being made to cope with an expected increase in the number of users of local telephone networks to 2.2 million in the year 2000, up from 1.25 million in 1996.

The bureau stated that its profits in 1997-1998 reached 681 million dirhams.

The bureau invested about 1.8 billion dirhams last year in establishing telephone lines in new and remote regions. Morocco reportedly needs investments worth about $5 billion to increase the number of telephone lines, and widen communications services under the supervision of the public sector.

At the same time, there is a number companies competing to enter the Moroccan communications market, according to a law ratified by the Moroccan parliament last year, which allows the privatization of the Moroccan communication's company and allows for foreign and local investments.