5G Telecoms: Everything you need to know about the license

It is official! The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ANRT) has just decided on the strategic issue of awarding licenses for the operation of 5th generation (5G) mobile telecom networks. The final decision was validated at the ANRT’s Board of directors meeting, which was held on Friday, July 25, under the chairmanship of the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. Indeed, the Board of directors approved and validated the instruction report, prepared by the ANRT, relating to the granting of licenses for the operation of networks using 5G technology. As a reminder, the granting of licenses follows the call for competition launched by the ANRT at the beginning of July.
According to our sources at the ANRT, the three phone carriers (IAM, Orange, and Inwi ) submitted their detailed bids. This was followed by an evaluation of the three proposals. At the end of the bid analysis, the three companies were selected. « This evaluation highlighted the commitment of the three carriers to contribute to the development of 5G infrastructure on a national scale « , the market regulator said. According to the evaluation criteria, the applications of the three bidding companies received the following scores: 87 for Maroc Telecom, 85 for Médi Telecom, and 87 for Wana Corporate.
Overall, the launch of 5G in Morocco will require, according to the telecom regulator, an investment and operating costs of around 80 billion Dirhams  (US 8.7 billion), over a 10-year period (by 2035). It should be noted that the price of the license has been set at 2.1 billion dirhams (US 230 million), an entry ticket shared between the three partners, that is, one license for each phone carrier. The entry fee that each operator must pay to the general Government budget is 900 million dirhams (US 98 million)  including tax for Maroc Telecom, 600 million dirhams (US 65 million)  including tax for Médi Telecom (Orange), and 600 million Dirhams including tax for Wana Corporate ( Inwi ). The difference between carriers in terms of financial counterparty for the license is explained by the frequency requested. If Maroc Telecom pays more, it is because the historical operator has requested 50 megahertz (MHz) more than its competitors. Thus, Maroc Telecom will have a volume of 120 MHz, compared to 70 MHz each, respectively for Médi Telecom and Wana Corporate . According to ANRT, «ultimately, the three phone carriers will have equal shares. They will end up with 120 MHz in 2 to 3 months».
In terms of population coverage with 5G technology, the commitments made by the three carriers plan to reach 45% by the end of 2026 before rising to 85% by the end of 2030. In other words, during the 2030 World Cup, 85% of the Moroccan population will benefit from the 5G network.
As a reminder, ANRT’s initial network coverage requirements were barely 25% by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2030. According to our sources at the Telecoms Market Regulatory Authority, the entry into service and official marketing of 5G bids are planned before the end of the year. The first commercial offers from the phone carriers will be launched next November. This will ensure the organization of the African Cup of Nations with 5G coverage.

Amin RBOUB