Morocco cuts phone tariffs

Morocco decided Thursday to cut inter-urban and international phone tariffs after the gains recorded by its telecom company "Ittissalat Al-Maghreb."

The prices of inter-city calls were lowered by 50% while those of long distance and mobile phone subscription fees were decreased by 25%. Morocco, which counts 28 million inhabitants, has about 1.4 phone subscribers and over 80,000 cellular phone clients.

The country, which is planning to liberalize its telecom sector, launched last year a $500 million international tender for the construction of a private mobile phone network.

Thirty renowned international companies are currently competing for the bid.