Trading of Maroc Telecom shares, which was temporarily halted on Thursday, will resume on Friday, March 28, 2025, on the Casablanca Stock Exchange. The suspension followed the announcement of a sweeping new partnership between the country’s largest telecom operator and its rival Inwi—a collaboration that promises to reshape Morocco’s digital future through the joint rollout of nationwide 5G and fiber-optic networks.
The decision to freeze trading came at the request of the Moroccan Capital Markets Authority (AMMC), in line with regulatory guidelines meant to ensure transparency when material information is disclosed.
The deal unveiled Thursday is being hailed as a game-changer for Morocco’s telecom industry. By combining resources, Maroc Telecom and Inwi aim to accelerate the availability of ultra-high-speed internet across both mobile and fixed networks—particularly in remote regions—while streamlining investments to cut costs and speed up implementation.
Under the agreement, the two companies—Maroc Telecom (IAM) and Inwi (Wana Corporate)—will pool their infrastructure in a joint effort to fast-track the expansion of 5G and fiber across the country. The agreement has already been approved by Maroc Telecom’s supervisory board and Inwi’s board of directors, according to a joint statement.
This strategic alliance is aligned with Morocco’s broader push for digital transformation and enhanced connectivity. To carry out this ambitious plan, the two firms will establish two jointly-owned ventures.
The first entity, known as FiberCo, will be tasked with rolling out fiber-optic internet to homes and businesses. The goal is to install one million fiber connections within two years and triple that number to three million within five.
The second company, TowerCo, will handle the aggressive expansion of 5G infrastructure. That means building new towers and upgrading existing ones, with a target of constructing 2,000 towers in the first three years and reaching 6,000 over the next decade. Once complete, these upgrades are expected to deliver significantly faster and more reliable service to customers nationwide.
The initial phase of the project will span three years and is expected to cost 4.4 billion dirhams. All of the shared infrastructure will be open to any licensed operators eligible to use passive infrastructure, in accordance with existing telecom regulations.
However, the partnership isn’t finalized just yet. It still requires approval from the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT), which will review the agreement under the country’s antitrust and economic concentration laws.
This landmark deal also signals the end of a long-standing legal feud between the two companies over infrastructure sharing. Maroc Telecom had previously been ordered to pay 6.38 billion dirhams in damages to Inwi. As part of this new cooperation, both parties have agreed to lower the compensation to 4.38 billion dirhams, contingent on the final signing of joint venture documents. They’ve also pledged to drop all remaining legal actions currently pending before Morocco’s Court of Cassation.
With this bold new partnership, Maroc Telecom and Inwi are not only setting aside past disputes—they’re betting big on a shared future. The collaboration is poised to strengthen Morocco’s digital backbone and reinforce its position as a telecom leader across the African continent and beyond.
