The Moroccan Internet Market

Even if it is still quite low, the Internet penetration rate is exploding. There are 3.5 million regular Internet users in Morocco, 75% of whom are over 20 years old and 80% are graduates of higher education. In addition to these, there are 3.6 million Internet users who have connected at least once in the last twelve months. (study by ANRT and APEBI of September 19, 2005).

The year 2005 marks a new turning point for the Internet in Morocco. The number of subscribers stands at 220,000, a 50% increase compared to 2004 (Source: ANRT). In 2004, ADSL grew by more than 2000%, the number of broadband subscribers stood at 180,000 at the end of 2004 (Source: ANRT). The percentage of ADSL subscribers compared to classic packages increased from 4% to 81%.

It should be remembered that currently (2005), 38% of companies have a website. Morocco has more than 12,400 registrations of ".ma" domain names managed directly by Maroc Telecom. The total number of registered domain names, all extensions included (.com, .net, .org…) exceeds 10,000, including ".ma". A recent study conducted by the government shows that 42% of Moroccan companies are connected to the Internet, or 29,000 companies.

On the other hand, it can be said that more and more companies are aware that having a website means opening up to the outside world. As proof, email is becoming a much more widely used communication tool today than fax.

Governmental bodies are driving this trend upwards because the upgrading of ICTs is part of the government's objectives for the coming years (Internet Summit in November 2005).