The Board of Directors of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) met on May 9th 2012 at Government headquarters under the chairmanship of the Head of Government, Abdelillah BENKIRAN.

On the agenda for the session was a progress report on the implementation of the provisions of the General guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector in 2013 (NOG 2013), as well as the approval of the 2011 accounts and the 2012 budget.

During the opening session, the Head of Government reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening good governance in various public institutions by conducting regular board meetings and monitoring the implementation of their missions.

Stressing the important role played by ANRT in regulating the telecommunications sector, Mr. Abdelillah BENKIRANE congratulated the performances recorded for 2011, marked by a 4% contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) as well as growth in the number of subscribers to fixed and mobile networks to 40 million and the number of internet users to 15 million. This evolution came along with a significant decrease in rates of both fixed and mobile telephony.

The Head of Government noted that the sector will experience a qualitative leap thanks to the implementation of the national plan for the deployment of broadband and ultra-broadband. This will enable Morocco to provide telecommunications infrastructure and the latest generation of widespread Internet access to the entire population over the next ten years.

Mr. Azdine El Mountassir Billah, Director General of ANRT, reviewed the progress of measures provided by NOG 2013. He also presented the ANRT accounts for 2011 as well as the main lines of the 2012 budget.

The Board of Directors was informed of the results of this study on the development of the national plan for the implementation of broadband and ultra-broadband, which focuses on three areas, namely deploying 4th generation mobile technologies (4G), strengthening telecommunications infrastructure such as fibre optics, and revising the legal and regulatory framework governing the sector to support the implementation of said plan.

The Board of Directors has approved a set of decisions, including those on the Agency’s financial statements for the 2011 fiscal year and the budget for 2012, the granting of 4th generation (4G) mobile licenses, the expansion of broadband deployment through the outdoor Wi-Fi technology, and the strengthening of optical telecommunications infrastructure.