Morocco says the first phase of its national broadband plan is almost finished, with mobile coverage now reaching 10,690 out of 10,740 targeted rural areas. The update was confirmed by Digital Transition Minister Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni.
The government has already started the second phase, which will bring strong internet access to another 2,000 rural localities by 2026. Officials say these areas were chosen with help from local authorities so that no communities are left out.
For the most remote places, where traditional networks cannot reach, the state will rely on satellite internet. Households can receive up to 2,500 dirhams per subscription, with 4,000 people set to benefit each year. At the same time, Morocco is pushing ahead with fibre. The goal is to connect 5.6 million homes by 2030, and a new rule will require fibre to be installed in all new housing projects.
5G is already running in more than 50 cities and serves around seven million users. The plan is to reach 45% of the population by 2026 and 85% by 2030. Telecom operators have promised to invest more than 80 billion dirhams by 2035 to support this expansion.
All of this sits inside the wider Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, which aims to turn the country into a regional tech hub. The plan includes upgrading spectrum capacity, building a hybrid cloud to store sensitive government data locally, creating 3,000 startups by 2030, and training 100,000 digital specialists every year. Authorities also want 80% of public services to be fully digital.
Major sporting events are helping drive the urgency. Morocco will host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal, which means reliable high-speed connectivity will be essential.
In March 2026, the government renewed the satellite licence of A.S Cimecom for another five years. The decision, supported by the telecom regulator ANRT, is meant to keep satellite links running for mines, ships and remote schools.
Experts say most current 5G networks still rely on 4G infrastructure. The next big step will be standalone 5G, which should unlock ultra-low latency services such as telemedicine and smart factories. Meanwhile, the three main operators, Maroc Telecom, Orange Maroc and inwi, face growing pressure to lower data prices, as many users say faster speeds still come with limited allowances.
