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Video: Internet Service Prices Still High in Malawi

December 8, 2011  »  Video2 Comments

Malawi’s Internet costs have vastly dropped since the days of $100/month for a 20kbps connection six years ago. Still, the presence of a fibre cable does not mean immediate reductions in Internet costs for consumers. Due to Malawi’s landlocked location, the country must link to international fibre via Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa. Fibre first arrived in 2009 and links to SEACOM and EASSy went live in May 2011.

Interviews with Patricia Kaliati, MP (Minister of Information) and Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL shed light on how Malawi’s fibre costs are slowly decreasing (courtesy MBC in the above video):

  • costs must drop before Malawi can “make it as an ICT nation”
  • want a combination of affordable, quick, and reliable service
  • buy capacity from 30 partners
  • price has come down more than 50% in the past year
  • MTL keeps negotiating from suppliers to give consumers the best price possible
  • “Internet is very expensive”
  • Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL: “we shouldn’t be saying every Malawian has access to the Internet; we should be saying the majority of Malawians have access to the Internet.”

Moreover, the Malawian government is also committed to lowering the cost of international connectivity through the ongoing Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme – Malawi Project (RCIPMW).

2 Comments »

  • Acha says:

    Internet is great in Malawi thanks to MTL but the trouble is there are very few internet users in Malawi. This has made internet expensive in the Cyber shops going at 1 usd per hour. Unlimited use at MTL using the mobile moderm cost just about 48 usd per month. Speed is not the best but more than fair.

  • oAfrica says:

    Thank you for the information. 1 USD for an hour is expensive! Unlimited costs seem more competitive, but still out of reach for most.