Telecom service providers from Europe and the United States will soon face off against rivals for China over a new tender to build out Morocco’s 5G network, according to a report in Africa Intelligence.
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency will open the market for bidding to build the high-speed data and voice network in a count
Chinese tech giant Huawei, which is already deeply involved in Morocco’s telecommunications infrastructure through its participation in Maroc Telecom and Orange Maroc, is in a leading position ahead of its U.S. and European competitors, namely Oracle, Nokia, and Ericsson.
This competition over Morocco’s 5G rollout is unfolding in a context of rising tensions in Washington, where concerns are growing over China’s increasing presence in the kingdom. The fear stems from the fact that Chinese investments could take advantage of the free trade agreements between Morocco and the United States to bypass Washington’s trade restrictions.
The opening of the market to Huawei, again, highlights how the longstanding U.S. government effort to discourage African governments from working with Huawei and other Chinese telecom companies has largely been ignored in Africa.
