Moroccan incumbent telephony operator Maroc Télécom achieved a consolidated turnover of MAD6.11 billion (USD739.1 million) in the first quarter of 2007, up 15.9% on the same period of 2006, the company announced in a press release. The group consolidated the results of subsidiaries Mauritel (Mauritania),Onatel (Burkina )  and Mobisud (French MVNO) for the first time in the quarter. Revenues from fixed line and internet services rose by 2.1% year-on-year to MAD2.62 billion and mobile revenues by 24.5% to MAD4.16 billion. Consolidated earnings from operations rose by 22.3% to MAD2.84 billion, including fixed line and internet earnings down 17.6% to MAD682 million and mobile earnings up 44.3% at MAD2.16 billion. The group’s operating margin rose by three percentage points to 46.6%. In Morocco, Télécom’s fixed line and internet turnover fell by 6.3% to MAD2.32 billion as its fixed line customer base decreased by 4.9% year-on-year to 1.27 million, whilst Moroccan internet customers rose by 38.6% to 424,000. Domestic mobile revenues rose by 19.3% to MAD3.8 billion as the company’s subscriber base grew by 32.6% to 11.37 million. The company claimed a 66.4% share of the country’s mobile market at the end of March, ahead of GSM rival Meditel.

Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News