The Oxford Business Group published an economic update on Morroco which, not surprisingly, consists entirely of of telecommunications growth metrics. These days, mobile growth is nearly synonymous with overall economic growth and can be used as as decent macro-economic barometer.

Notes from “Maroc: L’Internet mobile a le vent en poupe” (Morocco: Mobile Internet on the rise)

• ICT contribution to GDP in Q3 2011 increased by 19% over Q3 2010
• 36.55 million mobile subscribers
• 3.18 million Internet subscribers
• in 2011, the number of mobile Internet subscribers increased by 70%
• 81% of Internet subscribers access via 3G
• 19% of Internet subscribers access via ADSL
• Internet penetration rate just under 10%
• dramatic rise in number of online retail services
• 1/4 of social network Viadeo’s African users are Moroccan
• national bandwidth increased by 66% from 2010 to 2011 (75 Gbps to 124 Gbps)
• cable linked to Spain is expected to go live in late-March 2012
• a terrestrial cable to link Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso is on the way