e&’s Maroc Telecom settles with Inwi, agrees to set up JVs

e& subsidiary Maroc Telecom agreed to settle and pay AED 1.6 bn to competitor Inwi, down from the initial AED 2.3 bn ordered by the Commercial Court of Rabat last year, with the two companies agreeing to set up two joint ventures, according to a disclosure (pdf). The two joint ventures will focus on the deployment of fiber-optic passive infrastructure and rolling out new telecommunications towers.

Background: e& had tried to appeal the court’s decision for e& to pay AED 2.3 bn due to alleged “anti-competitive practices” but was rejected by the Court of Appeals. e& holds majority stakes in Maroc Telecom at 53% shares, while the Moroccan government holds a 22% stake. The case was originally brought forward by Inwi in 2021 over Maroc Telecom abusing its position in the market, Reuters reported in January, without elaborating. The company was previously fined MAD 3.3 bn in 2020 by Moroccan telecommunications regulator ANRT for limiting competitors' access to their network infrastructure.