Vertical: Manufacturing
Application: Smart factory automation, IoT deployment, intelligent industrial control systems, real-time production monitoring, remote sensing
Ecosystem: Inwi, China Mobile International (CMI), Huawei
Private Network: 5G
Morocco has taken a notable step in industrial connectivity with the launch of its first private 5G network dedicated to industrial use, unveiled at GITEX Africa 2026 in Marrakech. The network has been deployed by Moroccan telecom operator Inwi in partnership with China Mobile International (CMI) on a 52-hectare industrial site in Morocco’s Oriental region, home to the Nador West Med industrial hub.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Inwi is responsible for designing, deploying, and operating the private 5G network, which will serve one of China Mobile International’s key regional clients. The factory at the heart of the deployment has ambitions that extend well beyond Morocco’s borders. According to Morocco World News, the site is designed as a highly automated and digitalized industrial platform intended to become a continental reference point for Industry 4.0, integrating advanced technologies to optimize operational performance across the entire facility.
The technical specifications of the network reflect the demands of a serious industrial environment. As reported by Developing Telecoms, the infrastructure will deliver ultra-low latency, high stability, elevated throughput, and dynamic quality of service to support critical industrial applications. Beyond raw connectivity, the network is designed to enable large-scale deployment of IoT solutions and intelligent industrial control systems, with remote sensing and real-time monitoring of production indicators bringing the site in line with international smart factory standards.
Inwi is leveraging its long-standing partnership with Huawei to deliver the initiative. Together, the two companies have built a private 5G offering tailored for Moroccan enterprises, spanning multiple strategic sectors including mining, renewable energy, agriculture, and logistics. The involvement of Huawei as the technology provider gives the deployment a well-tested infrastructure backbone, and Inwi has indicated it intends to use this project as a replicable model, with plans to extend its private 5G approach through chambers of commerce in other Moroccan regions.
Inwi described the project as paving the way for a new generation of Industry 4.0 in Morocco, with the deployment intended to demonstrate the operator’s commitment to offering sovereign, high-performance infrastructure suited to critical industrial applications. The scale of the project — one of the largest private 5G installations on the African continent — reflects Morocco’s broader ambitions in next-generation connectivity. Morocco began rolling out 5G commercially in November 2025, with Inwi, Maroc Telecom, and Orange Maroc all launching service as part of the country’s Digital Morocco 2030 plan, which targets coverage of 75% of the population by the end of the decade. This private industrial deployment builds on that foundation, directing the technology toward concrete industrial outcomes rather than broad consumer coverage.
