Telephones
The telephone network in Morocco was originally state run, slow and inefficient. Phones used to be considered as a convenience and a luxury for the elite and not as an essential part of the country’s social and economic development. The government finally realized this situation was hampering the economic development of the country and began a privatization scheme in the mid 1990s with a view to ensuring access to all areas.
Today, phones are widely available in public places, the work place and in phone booths on the street. However, most poor Moroccan families cannot afford to have land lines in their homes and are more likely to have a mobile phone.
The international code for Morocco: 212.
Outgoing international code: 00.
National phone inquiries: 160
International phone inquiries: 120
Téléboutiques
Privately run téléboutiques can be found throughout the country in larger towns. There is always an attendant on hand to provide advice, change and phone cards.
Mobile Phones
Morocco has two GSM networks, Maroc Telecom and Medi Telecom, with good coverage in most of the country. Over the past decade mobile phones in Morocco, as in other countries, have seen a huge growth rate and now exceed land line subscriptions.
The mobile telephone network now reaches more than 85 % of the population. Now many remote areas with no previous telephone services can now be reached within the mobile phone network. The code for mobile phones is 06.
Fax
Fax facilities are available in most major hotels and at téléboutiques.
Internet
Since 1995 Internet cafes have been springing up in the major towns with Internet access also available in some hotels. Lines connect reliably and fast with ADSL being widely available. Connection in your home can be arranged with any one of the dozens of Internet service providers in Rabat and Casablanca.
80% of educated Moroccans use the Internet regularly and many medium sized companies will have connection to the Web. Moroccan schools and universities are supplying the private sector with highly professional computer engineers, while training standards compare well with the rest of the world.
Numerous Moroccan businesses, media outlets, government offices and other organizations maintain web sites. However the lack of adequate networking infrastructures, low usage of personal computers, computer illiteracy and the relatively high cost of Internet access are slowing its uptake in Morocco. Added to this, most content is written in English on the web, and English literacy in Morocco is limited to less than 10%.
Written by
Emma Stephenson