Maroc Telecom Q1 operating income up 9.1 pct

PARIS, May 9 (Reuters) - Maroc Telecom (IAM.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday posted a 9.1 percent rise in first-quarter operating profit, helped by solid sales growth and cost control, and confirmed its full-year outlook.

Morocco's dominant telecoms operator, which is controlled by the French entertainment group Vivendi (VIV.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), made an operating profit of 3.104 billion Moroccan dirhams ($416.5 million) in the three months to March 31.

"These results confirm our annual forecasts and have been achieved in a context of huge growth of mobile services," and despite the rising cost of living in the group's markets, Chairman Abdeslam Ahizoune said in a statement.

First-quarter revenues reached 6.97 billion Moroccan dirhams ($935.2 million), up 13.9 percent on 2007, or up 8.3 percent on a comparable basis. The operator's operating margin during the period came to 44.7 percent, a 1 percentage point rise against last year on a comparable basis.

Maroc Telecom competes with Spanish-Portuguese venture Meditel and with Wana, owned by national conglomerate ONA (ONA.CS: Quote, Profile, Research). (Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt, editing by Will Waterman)