TNM says data bundles are fine
Mobile phone service provider TNM has further irked customers when it has defended its mode of pricing for various data bundles offered to its customers.
This follows continued public outcry over exorbitant data charges by telecom companies in the country.
According to TNM’s Chief Executive Officer Arnold M’bwana, the prices attached to the bundles are not necessarily exorbitant as they are currently tailored to suit the needs of different customers.
M’bwana also cites that the pricing is largely determined by the VAT that is paid to the government in the process of providing internet access to Malawians.
However, some Malawians have taken up in various social media platforms to bash TNM over the remarks.
Some people say data bundles in Malawi are more expensive than in other countries in the Sadc region.
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My friend Malawi has the most exorbitant pricing in the whole region.
One wonders why our good government is failing to sort this with the service providers.
How else do you want the good citizens cry out there!
There is only one reason why they ate that expensive, they that expensive because they are the only two Mobile operators in the country, in 2014 when TNM and Airtel were not ISPs, 1Mbps for corporate used to cost around 350USD, then the key ISPs were MTL, SKyband and Globe Malawi limited, when TNM, Simbanet, Airtel joined as ISP in 2015, the data rates got reduced further from 350USD to now around 90USD, in fact TNM and Airtel are the cheapest ISPs because they are trying to win businesses, Malawi currently has 11 ISPs and TNM and Airtel are the… Read more »
Akudandaula ndi mtengo wa data ndi anthu osati inu. Ndiye mukuyenera kumvera anthuwo wosati za nokhazo yi. Kodi inu MTN ili almost mayiko wonse kupatula ku Malawiko chifukwatu adulitsa ma air time ndi madatawa adzatseka ma bussness awo ngati zimene anaona a multichoice Malawi and amalipirira ku South Africa R400 almost k20000 kumaonera ma Channel ankhani nkhani. Ndiye awanso awa kubwere ma kampani eni. Osati awiri wokha adzipikisana. Wochipa ma kasitomara ambiri.
Nyasa Times Reporter next time do not finish like that (‘some people say data bundles in Malawi are more expensive than in other countries…’) on an issue that you can easily investigate the facts thereof. However, I will excuse myself from being bothered with your bad reporting because I have strongly remembered that TNM will actually wait for Airtel to start a business venture so they can copy it centuries afterwards (mobile money franchising etc). Proactive business development has no cubicle in TNM, unfortunately M’bwana is a product of that boring system. They are fooled by the corporate customer which… Read more »
Mobile money was not started by airtel either. This was the brain child of safaricom of Kenya, Airtel just copied like all others the world over
TNM does not issue VAT ESD receipts and hence they dont pay MRA any VAT , so how does the pricing depend on VAT driven . Eye wash by putting the blame on the government. Small traders are punished for not issuing ESD receipt and here TNM sells millions of kwacha worth of units and they dont pay VAT. They are not fined. If MRA checks the records and for each transaction without a ESD receipt is liable for Mk 500,000-00. MRA can collect billions as fine dating back to seven years
MRA Can also collect fines from All Malawian Shops doing Business without the MRA Receipt issued 90% Malawian Owned shops do not issue MRA EFD/ESD Receipts, MRA Officer never put fine or collect
VAT from these shops.
We can under stand why MRA is always NOT completing there
Targets on Collection of Taxes, if they start Targeting without
Corruption MRA will collect in Billions from Malawians run Business
pakungofunika makampani ena nao abwere tizisankha kopita not airtel and tnm only maka inu atnm nde mwaonjeza netwk mbola komanso or ukamaimba maseconds kuthamanga zedi…try kuchita compare ndi pawatch u will see this .nde mwina maseconds anthawi ndiosiyana ndioimbila phone
They will come and in no time form a Catel. Isn’t this the case with banks?
Saying “not necessarily exorbitant” does not mean its reasonably priced. I think the CEO needs a good PR team behind him. Should have said something along the lines of ” We understand our customers concerns and we will continue to review the pricing over the data bundles which are mainly driven by govt VAT, and we will work with the govt to reduce costs where possible.”
Ushering mere sophistry is not necessarily lowering data costs. That would sound like some cheating politician talking sweet in a soft voice but over-stuffing his cronies while starving the masses.
Facts
Its just unfortunate that this M’bwana does know the bad impact their atitude is causing to Malawians. I am one of those who are always online its because of ICT research i do on daily basis. There is alot of ICT courses online, but our youths can’t do it because your data TNM M’bwana is expensive, Airtel your elder brother is same like you. Please check with South Africa, Botswana, Zambia data is cheap for their people, Tanzania is working on cheaper data, the current president is asking the ISP that side to stop punishing the people of that country.… Read more »
TNM data bundles aren’t fine.
Is Malawi the only country with unaffordable Internet services? If Malawi is more expensive than other SADC countries, what is Malawi’s ARPU compared to these other countries. Could that explain the difference in service costs?