Morocco announced Wednesday that it will next year open bidding for two fixed phone licenses, marking the end of the monopoly of state-owned Maroc Telecom, the watchdog agency ANRT said.
But Agence Nationale de Reglementation des Telecommunications denounced what it called the government's failure to regulate unfair competition in the fast-growing sector.
According to Morocco’s official news agency MAP, the first fixed line will be set aside for individual users, while the second line will be used by firms and large enterprises.
In 2003, Morocco will open bidding on a third mobile phone license.
ANRT said that state-run Maroc Telecom, in which France's media giant Vivendi Universal holds a 35 percent stake, had violated the rules of fair competition in the domestic market.
Mostafa Terrab, head of the ANRT, was quoted by Reuters as saying that "ANRT will not be part of a conspiracy of silence against the violations of competition rules in the telecoms sector."
He said ANRT had sent several letters to Prime Minister Abderrahmane El Youssoufi asking him to take legal action against Maroc Telecom but had received no reply, the agency added – Albawaba.com
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