Using the Telephone

In the cities, most homes have a telephone with local, long-distance and international access. Cell phones have also become increasingly popular. One finds that it is less expensive to have a prepaid card than to use a monthly billing system. The phone card will give the holder a number and the capacity to receive calls for a designated period of time, even when the actual calling minutes have been used up.

As well as having public telephones on the street, Moroccan cities have teleboutiques, large comfortable rooms with many telephones and booths, where one can use the telephone to make both local, long-distance and international calls. Before making the call, one must get change from the attendant. The fees are reasonable, but as in most cases, international calls are quite a bit more expensive. Pre-paid phone cards are an option that reduces the cost of international calls.

Given the vast differences between westernized life in the cities and the nature of rural life in the towns, a telephone is much harder to find in the villages. There is usually one public telephone per village, and often that is the only telephone for miles.