23 August 2019

Chinese tech firm Huawei said it wants Morocco to be the first country to launch 5G in Africa.

The company outlined its goal for the north African country at the 9th annual North African suppliers conference in Skhirat, south of Rabat in July.

“We are the [world] leaders in 5G, and we want to be the leader in Morocco,” said Chakib Achour, the marketing and strategy director of Huawei in Morocco. “We want the Kingdom to be the first to launch 5G in Africa.” According to Achour, the company is now only waiting for the green light from the government.

5G is the new generation of mobile internet connectivity, which promises much faster data upload and download speeds, wider coverage and more stable connections.

However, Huawei does face stiff competition in this space.

In March 2019, competitor Ericsson organised a live 5G demonstration at Maroc Telecom headquarters in Rabat, showcasing the technology’s capabilities.

According to a recent report by the Moroccan National Telecommunications Regulations Agency (ANRT), access to the internet by Moroccan households has increased three-fold over the last eight years.

Some 74.2% of households now have internet access.