Maroc Telecom Appeals $238 Million Anti-Competitive Behavior Fine

Maroc Telecom (IAM), which has been fined by Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) to pay a fine of MAD 2.45 billion ($238 million) for misuse of a dominating position, has filed an appeal at the Rabat Court of Appeal, according to converging reports.

Laayoune – Maroc Telecom (IAM), which has been fined by Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) to pay a fine of MAD 2.45 billion ($238 million) for misuse of a dominating position, has filed an appeal at the Rabat Court of Appeal, according to converging reports.

News on the abuse of Maroc Telecom’s monopoly over Morocco’s telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in the market of fixed phones, has been circulating since 2017.

The ANRT’s inquiries commenced in May 2017, after WANA – another Moroccan telecom firm, now known as INWI – filed a complaint against IAM in December 2016.

WANA accused IAM of anticompetitive behavior and monopolizing the telephone exchange lines.

According to the ANRT’s report, IAM had since 2013 participated in “cumulative conduct that had the effect of preventing and delaying competitors’ access to local-loop unbundling and the landline market.”

The agency urged Maroc Telecom to take action to address the issue, notably by implementing policies that support fair competition.

The MAD 2.45 billion fine is the result of the cumulative fine it imposed on IAM in January 2020 for violating fair competition, ANRT said, noting it had initially fined IAM MAD 4.1 million ($400,000) for each day of noncompliance for violating its fair competition guidelines.

In a press release on July 25, IAM stated that it had taken note of the ANRT management committee’s decision regarding the liquidation of the January 2020 fine.

IAM had 30 days to file a judicial appeal against ANRT’s verdict last month. The validity of the company’s appeal is now being evaluated by the Rabat Court of Appeal.