Basics

Morocco has three network operators:

  • Maroc Telecom Internet Anuel Intranet Mensuel *9G-112 (a.k.a. Itissalat Al-Maghrib, IAM),
  • Meditel Orange *6G-112 (formerly Meditel)
  • Maroc Communication Inwi Seconde Wana Minute *12G-112

In pure UMTS standards, 2G operates at only 900 MHz and 3G at 2100 MHz (up to 14.4 Mbit/s). In 2020, all city operators will launch 4G/LTE. Licenses have been issued for 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz (M 3, 7, 20). 4G is available prepaid if available. Morocco Telecom is the market leader and has the best coverage in the country, followed by Orange and Inwi, which is still adequate for cities. SIM cards can be purchased at network operator branches and their sales points. Be prepared to show your passport.

VoIP

In early 2021, in a coordinated effort, all mobile operators started blocking VoIP calls from OFPTT software/applications such as Skype, Whatsapp, and Viber. Some attributed the move to Etisalat, which owns a majority stake in Morocco Telecom, as VoIP services are also restricted in Morocco and the United States, Etisalat’s two main markets.

This sparked a public outcry and protests from blogs and websites. In March 2016, all landline ADSL providers were also forced to temporarily close their ports to VoIP providers. This was made official in a decree issued in June 2016, stating that VoIP services are anti-competitive. As of March 2016, VoIP calls over Wi-Fi have been restored, but such calls over 3G/4G are still blocked.

Update November 2016: Telecoms regulator ANRT has ordered the country’s three major mobile operators to allow over-the-top (OTT) VoIP services again. A few months ago, an unidentified plaintiff filed a lawsuit with the Oujda Administrative Court challenging the regulator’s decision to ban the service. As the situation remains fluid, we will publish providers’ IDD quotes as part of our survey in case they change their minds again.

Western Sahara

Morocco claims territory in Western Sahara and applies Moroccan law to about 85% of the territory it controls. Morocco considers the territory an integral part of the Kingdom, the three mobile networks operate with the same prices and regulations. Note that Western Sahara is sparsely populated and coverage is also sparse, but in large and small towns (Dakhla, Laayoun, etc.) and major cities, coverage is very reliable.

SADR/Polisario militias can rarely move freely within the UN-controlled (demilitarized) DMZ, which lies outside the separation wall established by the Moroccan government. This is a conflict zone governed by a ceasefire treaty in effect since 1998 and is generally closed to visitors except those with special permits. Coverage in this area ranges from poor to average (can be very good in some places, but completely absent in others), the main reason being the many BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) ) are installed in wall corners and some mobile BTS stations. further distribution. wall.

Maroc Telecom

Maroc Telecom, aka IAM, is the largest mobile operator, mainly owned by Etisalat, based in the United Arab Emirates, with the best coverage (map) . In 2015, they started with 4G/LTE with speeds up to 225 Mbps in large and small cities, available upfront at no additional cost.

According to users, purchasing SIM cards and data plans is complicated and often requires special support and then being charged double. So if you choose Maroc Telecom, make sure you have an expert ready to help you with configuration, and don’t leave town before data is activated. Initial activation usually takes about 30 minutes. Some travel companies provide free SIM cards to customers doing travel programs.

Availability

A SIM card called “Jawal 4G” is offered to about 30 DHS with a small credit (10 DHS) at their dealers (store locator) and at many other points of sale. Older 3G SIM cards also work on Meditel 4G/LTE. You must activate your data service by calling 888.

Just for data in tablets and modems, IAM sells bags at 59 DHS with 4 GB for 10 days.

The recharge code is available nationwide and comes with a step-like task. The SIM card will be canceled 12 months after the last recharge. The credit remains valid for a much shorter period.

Checking data balance is done by sending any SMS to 580, but it will cost 1 DH. Also, the code URSSD #580# is free but it only tells you the total amount of Dirham credit remaining.

Data feature packs

Meditel IAM does not offer online recharge of data bundles nor does it allow you to convert your total balance into data bundles. This means the much-hyped “Multiple x # recharges” recharge will not apply to data. Instead, you have to specifically top up your data credit. You can do this by sending your top-up code via SMS and entering *3 to 555 or by electronic top-up.

Your data plan is called “Pass Jawal Internet” and is available for 2G/3G and 4G/LTE:

RechargeDataTime
5 DHS500 MB1 day
10 DHS1 GB3 days
20 DHS2 GB7 days
25 DHS2.5 GB7 days
30 DHS3 GB10 days
50 DHS5 GB1 month
100 DHS10 GB1 month
200 DHS20 GB2 months

For some social media only (Facebook with Messenger, WhatsApp and Twitter) they sell certain low volume passes, that can be topped up like the internet passes, but with *6 to 555 at the end:

  • 5 DHS: 100 MB for 5 days
  • 10 DHS: 300 MB for 15 days
  • 20 DHS: 1 GB for 30 days
  • 30 DHS: 2 GB for 60 days

IDD call option

The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called ‘Pass Jawal International” for calls to some European countries, the US and Canada.

20 DHS: 20 IDD mins for 7 days
50 DHS: 50 IDD mins for 14 days
100 DHS: 100 IDD mins for 14 days
200 DHS: 200 IDD mins for 14 days
For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher code to 555 to be added by *4 at the end.

WIFi passes

Morocco Telecom has established a network of Wi-Fi hotspots in the city. They are located in public places such as bus stops, train stations, airports, parks, universities, schools and hotels.

To connect, you must select “Wifi Public Maroc Telecom” in the WiFi list. A welcome page will then open in your browser. Click “Nouveau Client”, enter your personal information and mobile phone number, and you will receive a security code via SMS. Enter this code and click “Inscribe”. You will receive another text message containing your username (nom d’utilisateur) and password to log in (mot de passe).

Regular recharge vouchers can be used to buy WiFi hotspot time:

  • 5 DHS: 1 hour for 1 day
  • 10 DHS: 3 hours for 3 days
  • 20 DHS: 5 hours for 7 days
  • 30 DHS: 10 hours for 10 days
  • 50 DHS: 24 hours for 1 month
  • 100 DHS: 48 hours for 1 month
  • 200 DHS: 100 hours for 2 month

After your WiFi use, be sure to log off again to keep the rest of your credit.

More info

Orange

Orange is the second provider in the country and mostly owned by Orange in France (formerly called France Télécom). That’s why it was decided to rebrand it from the original brand of Méditel to Orange starting in 2016.

Coverage is not as good as Maroc Telecom but still reasonable. 3G is available in most towns, 4G/LTE has been started in 2015 in about 8 towns so far: 4G map.

Availability

Orange offers one prepaid SIM card for 20 Dh. Their SIM cards stays alive for 1 year after the last top-up. For 4G you need to have a new 4G-enabled SIM card.

Top-ups can be made at their shop, with vouchers, or e-top-ups in acencies or online by credit card. shop locator (in French). Orange pays bonuses on recharges all valid for 7 days e.g. 1 GB for 100 DH recharge and the equivalent for higher and lower ones.

Check balance by entering #554# or 5554. An on-screen menu with 5 options is displayed. Press 1 to check remaining national minutes, 2 for SMS, 4 for internet e.g. MB left, and 5 for international minutes.

Data feature packages

To activate you must top-up a reload code of the respective amount by typing 555 and the code followed by *3. These packages are on 4G/LTE too, if you have coverage:

RechargeDataBonusTime
5 DHS500 MB1 day
10 DHS1 GB2 days
15 DHS1.5 GB3 days
20 DHS2 GB7 days
25 DHS3 GB30 mins7 days
30 DHS3 GB10 days
50 DHS5 GB30 days
100 DHS10 GB30 days

IDD call option

The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called ‘Recharge Al Kharij” for calls to most European countries, the US and Saudi Arabia.

  • 5 DHS: 5 IDD mins for 1 day
  • 25 DHS: 30 IDD mins for 1 week
  • 50 DHS: 60 IDD mins for 1 month

For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher to be added by *4 at the end.

More info

Inwi

Inwi is the smallest provider in Morocco but still reasonable, if you stick to the towns mainly. Make a network scan, if you want to use it at a particular place. 4G/LTE has started in 2015 in 26 cities: 2G/3G/4G coverage map.

Availability

They sell their prepaid SIM called Tic Tac in their stores and outlets (locator). Tic Tac is the name of their base plan and sold for 20 DH with the same credit pre-loaded.

Reload vouchers are available everywhere for 10, 20, 25, 50 and 100 DH. Recharges are valid for 2 days up to 6 months depending on volume. This can be extended by a top-up of 50 DH for another 6 months. To top-up type *120# and follow the french menu,

Data feature packages

Data by default is 10 DH per GB. To activate a package you need to top-up specifically your data account by entering the top-up code in the respective amount followed by *3.

These “internet sur mobile” passes for Tic Tac are available:

RechargeDataTime
5 DHS500 MB1 day
10 DHS1 GB3 days
20 DHS2 GB7 days
50 DHS5 GB30 days
100 DHS10 GB30 days

Data-only plans

Inwi sells data-only plans with or without modems: They are called Internet 3G+ sans abonnement with speeds up to 3G+:

  • 3G+ SIM-only Internet 3G+ with 3 GB of data valid for 14 days: 50 DH
  • 3G+ modem (Alcatel X602D) with 10 GB data for 1 month: 129 DH

or Internet 4G sans abonnement including 4G/LTE:

  • 4G SIM-only Internet 4G with 5 GB of data valid for 14 days: 50 DH
  • 4G modem (Alcatel L850) with 10 GB of data valid for 1 month: 249 DH
  • 4G MIFI (Alcatel Link 4G+ | Y858) with 10 GB of data valid for 1 month: 349 DH

They have in total 8 recharge packs for the data-only plan both in the 3G+ and 4G version:

TimeDataPrice
1 day200 MB5 DHS
3 days400 MB10 DHS
7 days1 GB20 DHS
14 days2 GB30 DHS
30 days4 GB50 DHS
30 days10 GB100 DHS
60 days20 GB200 DHS
90 days30 GB300 DHS

All the packs (initial or recharge) have a daily high speed data allowance of 400 MB. Beyond speed is throttled to 128 kbps.

IDD call option

The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called ‘Recharge International’ for calls to most European countries, the US, Canada and some Asian countries.

  • 20 DHS: 20 IDD mins for 1 week
  • 50 DHS: 60 IDD mins for 1 month

For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher to be added by *4 at the end.

More info

Internet and mobile communications in Morocco. How much does a SIM card with internet cost in Morocco? What is the best mobile internet in Morocco? Is there good internet in Morocco? What is the Internet speed in Morocco? Is there a 5G network in Morocco?