Malawi seeks new mobile operators to boost competition after tariff backlash

Malawi’s government is working to attract additional mobile network operators into the country in an effort to increase competition and improve the affordability of digital services, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Dr Shadric Namalomba has told Parliament.

Namalomba made the announcement on Friday while responding to a matter of urgent public importance raised by Francis Belekanyama, MP for Lilongwe Msinja South, over recent internet tariff increases by Airtel Malawi and TNM.

Belekanyama warned that the higher tariffs would burden households, students, small businesses and job seekers, and risked driving digital exclusion, reduced productivity and undermining government’s own goals on affordable, inclusive connectivity.

Responding, Namalomba said government believed greater competition in the telecommunications sector would help bring prices down while improving the quality and accessibility of internet services nationally.

“We are also looking at getting new operators to enter into the market because with that, then we are going to increase more competition. As we speak now, we only have two operators,” he said.

The minister set out the background to the dispute, explaining that Airtel Malawi and TNM had initially applied to the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) for an average tariff increase of 55%, citing rising operational costs driven by a roughly 144% increase in fuel prices, an 8% rise in electricity tariffs, and broader macroeconomic pressures.

MACRA did not approve the full request, instead granting a more moderate adjustment of 22.2% for Airtel Malawi and 26% for TNM, which Namalomba said was intended to balance business sustainability with consumer protection.

However, he said both operators implemented the revised tariffs before satisfying the legal requirement to give customers seven days’ notice, prompting regulatory intervention.

As a result, MACRA has directed both companies to compensate consumers who purchased data bundles between 26 June and 2 July 2026, with compensation required to be completed by 31 July.

Namalomba said government remained committed to expanding affordable digital connectivity through policy reform and infrastructure investment, pointing to a 50% reduction in spectrum licence fees and the US$150 million Digital Malawi Acceleration Project, funded by the World Bank, which is supporting the development of mobile towers, particularly in underserved areas.

“We are committed to ensuring affordable and inclusive digital services for all Malawians,” he said.

The tariff increases, implemented earlier this month after MACRA’s approval, sparked widespread public concern over the rising cost of digital services in a country where mobile data remains a primary means of internet access for most citizens.

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