Major world companies to meet for Morocco telecom 2000

The first international exhibition of telecommunication, information and networking "Morocco telecom 2000" slated for next April is expected to bring together major world telecommunication companies.

According to the exhibition promoters, all telecommunication equipment providers and operators are expected to display their technology and exchange ideas at the "Morocco telecom" forum.

Morocco owns one of Africa's largest communication networks which is currently estimated at a 5.45 percent equipment density, three times stronger than six years ago.

Ittissalat Al-Maghrib, the state phone operator, has increased the volume of fixed networks from 250,000 lines in 1982 to 1.5 million in June 1999. After the allocation last July of the second GSM phone license to an international consortium, the number of mobile phone lines is expected to grow rapidly from 116,000 in July 1999 to an estimated 200,000 in 2000, 2.5 million in 2004 and 6 millions in 2014.

The second GSM license was sold to a Spanish-Portuguese-Morocco consortium for over one billion dollars. The contract provides for an investment program worth $ 700 million, in addition to the creation of 2.000 direct jobs and some 30,000 indirect jobs.

The exhibition will represent the five telecommunication sectors: mobile phone, internet, communication networking and satellite communication.