As Morocco gears up for the summer festivities and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the end of 2025, the spotlight is on the performance and hospitality of its top hotels. With cities like Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir ready to welcome tourists and football fans, these hotels are expected to provide seamless Wi-Fi connectivity to meet their guests’ needs. This article explores how these cities and their premier hotels compare in terms of fixed broadband and Wi-Fi experience.
Key Takeaways:
- Rabat and Casablanca are leading the pack in terms of fixed broadband speed. According to Speedtest Intelligence® data, these two key cities boasted median broadband speeds of 36.55 Mbps and 35.57 Mbps, respectively, in Q4 2024. Maroc Telecom’s extensive fiber coverage allows it to consistently outperform its competitors, inwi and Orange, across the cities reviewed.
- Luxury hotels in Agadir and Marrakesh offer some of the fastest Wi-Fi networks in Morocco. Our analysis reveals that elite hotels like The View and Hotel Riu Palace Tikida in Agadir, along with La Mamounia in Marrakesh deliver excellent Wi-Fi performance. However, other five-star hotels, particularly those in Casablanca and Rabat, are lagging, highlighting opportunities for network optimization even among top-rated venues.
- The broadband market is poised for rapid expansion, driven by fiber deployment and 5G launch plans. These advancements promise to strengthen the telecom sector, enhance visitor experiences, and boost Morocco’s appeal as a top tourist destination.
Morocco’s tourism boom and rapid telecom expansion ahead of Africa Cup of Nations
Morocco, renowned for its rich culture and stunning landscapes, is experiencing a surge in visitor numbers. By the end of February 2025, the country recorded 2.7 million tourists, a 24% increase from the previous year. As Morocco gears up to the summer holiday season and will host the Africa Cup of Nations from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, attention is on its infrastructure, particularly its fixed network performance, to support guests and football fans during their stay. With the influx of tourists and the upcoming international sporting event, it’s crucial to examine the Wi-Fi performance in hotels across Morocco.
The country’s fixed telecom sector has been growing rapidly and is driven by fiber deployment. According to the Moroccan telecom regulator (ANRT), the fixed broadband market increased from just over 1.6 million in 2019 to nearly 2.6 million connections in September 2024 (out of around 8 million households). This includes 1.6 million ADSL subscribers and 990,000 fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscribers.
Maroc Telecom holds a 62% market share of the ADSL segment and 50% in the FTTH segment. Competitors inwi and Orange offer more limited fiber coverage but provide cheaper entry-level fiber packages. This disparity in network coverage impacts the speed experienced in different cities, as we will see next.
Rabat and Casablanca are at the forefront of fixed broadband speed among hosting cities
In a recent article, we discussed fixed broadband performance in North Africa, including Morocco, and how fiber deployment has helped lift these countries in the Speedtest Connectivity Index. Morocco secured the second spot in the region for Q4 2024 and saw a 32% year-on-year improvement in median fixed broadband download speed, reaching 35.57 Mbps. It also surpassed Egypt in median upload speed in Q3 2022 to reach 31.86 Mbps in the last quarter of 2024.
Broadband performance varies across regions. The top tourist cities hosting the AFCON show different median and upload speeds. Rabat leads with a median download speed of 36.55 Mbps and a median upload speed of 32.56 Mbps in Q4 2024, slightly above the national median of 35.57 Mbps. Casablanca follows closely with download and upload speeds of 35.57 Mbps and 29.42 Mbps, respectively. Meanwhile, Marrakesh, Agadir and Tangier trail, with median download speeds of 28.96 Mbps, 23.64 Mbps and 20.57 Mbps.
These city-level results hide large disparities between Maroc Telecom and its competitors. Maroc Telecom leads with median download speeds ranging from over 43 Mbps in Agadir to nearly 60 Mbps in Casablanca in Q4 2024. In contrast, Orange’s speeds range from 14.1 Mbps in Marrakech to 20.36 Mbps in Casablanca. inwi is slightly behind, showing download speeds from 12.72 Mbps in Tangier to 15.64 Mbps in Rabat. The disparity could be attributed to Maroc Telecom’s extensive fiber coverage and service availability in more areas, reinforcing its leading position in all reviewed cities. In fact, Moroc Telecom was the fastest ISP at the country level in H2 2024, according to Ookla’s Speedtest® Connectivity Report, while Orange recorded the best video streaming experience among ISPs.
Fixed Network Performance per City and per Operator, Morocco
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q4 2024
Fixed Network Performance per City and per Operator, Morocco
Luxury hotels in Agadir and Marrakesh have among the fastest Wi-Fi networks in Morocco
Using Speedtest Intelligence® data, we analyzed Wi-Fi performance in 10 top-rated five-star hotels and resorts in Morocco shortlisted based on their popularity and quality. We reviewed median download and upload speeds over 18 months (August 2023 to February 2025). This period helps gauge the performance and stability of the Wi-Fi network with different hotel occupancy levels and guest profiles.
The View and Hotel Riu Palace Tikida in Agadir, along with La Mamounia in Marrakesh, top the list with median download speeds of 72.27 Mbps, 55.72 Mbps, and 54.64 Mbps, respectively. Their upload speeds are similarly impressive, with The View exceeding its download speed at 92.10 Mbps.
The second tier of hotels, including Sofitel-branded venues in Agadir, Rabat, and Casablanca, and the Royal Mansour Marrakech, deliver good Wi-Fi performance, with speeds between 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps. Hotels based in Agadir and Marrakesh have a slight edge, averaging download speeds of around 46 Mbps. Royal Mansour Marrakech stands out again with a high upload speed of 72.93 Mbps, the second highest in this survey. The higher upload speeds relative to download speeds suggest that the hotels’ Wi-Fi networks might not be optimally managed.
The third group struggles, with median download speeds of just over 10 Mbps at Rabat Marriott Hotel and around 19 Mbps at two Four Seasons-branded hotels in Marrakesh and Casablanca, the latter having symmetrical download and upload speeds.
Despite lower broadband median download speeds in the cities of Agadir and Marrakesh, the Wi-Fi in their top local hotels outperforms their peers in cities with higher speeds. Conversely, hotels in Casablanca and Rabat, which excel in citywide broadband download and upload speeds, fall short in Wi-Fi performance. These five-star venues likely connect to the fiber network, yet poor Wi-Fi network performance may stem from limited, outdated, or misconfigured access points. Optimizing equipment placement and upgrading systems could enhance performance and reduce congestion.
Fiber and 5G rollout paving the way for a boost in Morocco’s tourism experience
The government has set ambitious targets for fiber deployment under the “Maroc Digital 2030” program. With a budget of US$1 billion, it aims to connect 4.4 million households with fiber by 2025 and reach 5.6 million fiber-connected households and 6,300 government institutions by 2030.
Morocco is also gearing up for 5 G technology in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The ANRT is expected to auction the 5G spectrum in early 2025, enabling operators to offer high-speed 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services in regions not yet covered by fiber.
At the end of March 2025, Maroc Telecom and inwi have also forged a strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of fiber optic and 5G technologies. The collaboration involves creating two joint ventures: FiberCo, which aims to expand fiber connections to 1 million in two years and 3 million in five years, and TowerCo, which plans to build 2,000 new towers in three years and 6,000 in ten years to support 5G rollout.
These advancements promise to significantly enhance internet connectivity across Morocco. For the tourism sector, this translates to improved online experiences for visitors, as hotels and other accommodations will be better equipped to meet growing demands for high-speed, reliable internet access. Enhanced connectivity could boost Morocco’s appeal as a tourist destination, especially for travelers who prioritize seamless online access for leisure and business.We will continue to track network performance in North Africa and report on infrastructure readiness for major sporting events in the region. If you are interested in Ookla’s solutions and services for network intelligence and management, get in touch.
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