JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Recently, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) licensed a new operator, the Malawi Mobile Cellular Network Limited, with an eye to increasing the number of mobile networks to three following Telekom Networks Malawi TNM and Celtel Malawi, the first two mobile companies in the country.
The arrival of a new mobile network operator on the Malawi telecom landscape has given hopes for competitive, reliable and affordable services to become available to consumers.
The new company, which is a joint venture between a local investor and Ubambo Investments of South Africa, will have an initial capital injection of US$56 million. The new network intends to introduce state-of-the-art technology and innovative services and extend service coverage to the rural areas of the country where 80 percent of the 12 million population live.
Currently mobile network operator TNM is holding the lion’s share of the market with an estimated 63 percent.
In an effort to increase the teledensity, the regulator (MACRA) insisted the government allow an additional player into the market.
