In the field of telecoms, Morocco stands out as one of Africa's champions. The quality of its connectivity is one of the key factors behind the Kingdom being chosen as the host country for the next African Cup of Nations (CAN) and a co-organizer of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
"Morocco is distinguished by having the fastest mobile Internet in the region (North Africa), with average download speeds of 45.1 Mbps and upload speeds of 12.75 Mbps. Data latency, or ping, is just 27 ms, providing a smooth and reliable Internet experience." This quantified observation is drawn from the report "Mobile Internet in North Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania – availability, quality, and speed ", published on July 23, 2024, by RFBenchmark. This specialized site is linked to the eponymous free app for speed testing and ranking Internet service providers worldwide. Known for its precision, RFBenchmark's indicators are widely recognized as authoritative.
The same applies to analyses published by OpenSignal. This global specialist in evaluating customer experience on mobile networks places Morocco among the leaders in Africa in its report, "The state of mobile network experience in Africa", released in November 2024. OpenSignal ranks Morocco third in Africa, particularly in download speeds.
Sometimes these reports are read with impatience, as many eagerly await the rollout of 5G in the Kingdom. However, as a Moroccan proverb goes, "No one can hide the sun with a sieve." Users themselves recognize the quality of connectivity in Morocco when they travel to other African and even European countries. Of course, there is still room for improvement, particularly in territorial coverage. As is the case everywhere, rural areas lag behind urban ones at the national level. This is why operators plan varying levels of infrastructure investments. RFBenchmark notes that such investments are rapidly expanding in Morocco, aligned with market demands, particularly in the mobile sector, which the evaluator describes as "one of the most developed in the region, with a penetration rate of 137.5%."
Pan-African Connector
"Maroc Telecom, the largest operator, is also active in several African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire." RFBenchmark's reminder highlights Morocco’s significant lead on the continent, driven by its historic telecom operator. As of the end of September, Maroc Telecom alone had 56,050,000 mobile clients, including 11,928,000 in Burkina Faso, 11,747,000 in Côte d'Ivoire, 8,393,000 in Mali, 6,710,000 in Chad, 6,135,000 in Benin, 3,760,000 in Niger, 2,952,000 in Togo, 2,503,000 in Mauritania, 1,649,000 in Gabon, and 275,000 in the Central African Republic. This positions Morocco as the ultimate Pan-African connector.
