Telenor AS, the Norwegian national telephone company, has won a license to provide satellite services in Morocco. It plans to invest about $2.7 million this year to install VSAT earth stations in the country.

Among the services Telenor will provide is connectivity to the North American Internet backbone by hauling IP traffic to and from Norway and establishing an interconnection point there, said Knut Digerud, director of Telenor’s International Center.

He said the company has not yet decided which satellite to use for the Morocco-to-Norway circuits.

Digerud said that economic growth in Morocco is among the highest in Africa and is comparable to several countries in Central Europe. In addition, there are about 3 million people of Moroccan descent in Europe, which may further the growth of the market for telecom services between Europe and Morocco.

The license for Telenor is one of three recently awarded by the Moroccan government.