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Rabat – Maroc Telecom’s revenue fell by 2.5 percent during the first nine months of 2017, due to the liberalization of IP telephony and the decrease in mobile termination rates, announced the company October 23.
Revenue from operating activities in Morocco was at MAD 15.3 million for the first nine months of the year, down by 5.6 percent compared to the same period of 2016, following the reintroduction of asymmetric mobile termination rates in March 2017 and the liberalization of IP telephony in November 2016.
Meanwhile, revenue generated in African subsidiaries increased, amounting to MAD 11.6 million, up by 1.1 percent compared to 2016.
In the third quarter alone, revenue growth at subsidiaries accelerated by 4.7 percent due to gains in market share and substantial investments to support the growth in voice call and data usage.
“The implementation of the massive investment plans and modernization of the new African subsidiaries is continuing and has already started to bear fruit in terms of growth and contribution to the Group’s performance,” assured Abdeslam Ahizoune, chairman of the company’s executive board.
The giant’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization amounted to 8.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, an increase of 0.3 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, which was at MAD 8.1 million.
Maroc Telecom’s mobile internet fleet continued its upward trend with growth of 30.3 percent, “thanks to the strong use of mobile internet.” The group is therefore focusing on “accelerating the deployment of very high-speed networks to meet the strong demand.”
The company also recorded an increase in revenues from outgoing services, which were up 2.3 percent, due to the growth in the customer base and increased data usage.
The group’s customer base amounted to over 56 million customers as of September 30, 2017, an increase of 7.7 percent year-on-year, driven by an expansion in the mobile customer bases in Niger, Togo, and Ivory Coast, as well as by the steady growth of mobile and fixed-line broad band customer bases in Morocco.
The outcomes of the first nine months of 2017 “confirm the improvement of the trends observed during the first half of the year and validate the Group’s strategic business choices,” said Ahizoune.
