Regulator says IAM abused its dominance
Maroc Telecom (MT also known as IAM) has been hit with a $238m (€238 million) fine for failing to comply with fair competition rules. The main charge against IAM was that it monopolised Morocco’s telecom infrastructure and prevented other telecom companies from exploiting the network optimally.
Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) said the fine is the culmination of an accumulative punishment that it imposed on IAM back in January 2020 for violating fair competition, according to a report in African Wireless Communications.
After an initial ruling, whose recommendations were ignored by the telco, ANRT set a daily fine of $400,000 for every day that IAM failed to comply with the watchdog’s fair competition instructions. The fines have mounted up.
“Maroc Telecom abused its dominant position in the market and blocked competitors’ access to unbundling on its network and the fixed market for the last seven years,” ANRT said in its initial ruling.
ANRT encouraged MT to resolve the issue with recommendations and suggested measures to promote fair competition. These were ignored, however.
MT has 30 days to appeal.