Maroc Telecom, Morocco’s leading telecommunications company, has been ordered to pay a staggering 6.3 billion dirhams ($630 million) to its competitor, Wana Corporate (Inwi), for unfair competition practices.
The ruling, upheld by a Moroccan appeals court on Wednesday, marks a significant victory for Inwi and a major setback for Maroc Telecom.
Inwi, the country’s third-largest telecom operator, filed a lawsuit in 2021 accusing Maroc Telecom of abusing its dominant market position.
The court agreed, finding evidence that Maroc Telecom had engaged in practices that stifled competition.
The fine imposed is more than Maroc Telecom’s entire 2023 profit, highlighting the severity of the offense.
This isn’t the first time Maroc Telecom has faced accusations of anti-competitive behavior.
In 2020, Morocco’s telecom regulator, ANRT, fined the company 3.3 billion dirhams for hindering competitors’ access to its network infrastructure.The latest ruling suggests these practices continued despite the initial penalty.
Maroc Telecom, a major player in the North African telecommunications landscape, is a publicly traded company with listings on both the Casablanca Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris.
Etisalat, a UAE-based telecom giant, holds a majority stake (53%), while the Moroccan state owns 22%. The company operates subsidiaries across several African nations, including Benin, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.
Inwi, on the other hand, remains a privately held entity under the control of Al Mada, a Moroccan royal family investment fund.
The outcome of this case sets a precedent for fair competition in Morocco’s telecommunications sector and could potentially lead to a more level playing field for smaller players like Inwi.
