Minister of Information Gospel Kazako says the issue of data prices need to be looked into since service providers charge high prices and make huge profits despite complaining of taxes.
Speaking to the local media, Kazako said Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (Macra) – which regulates mobile service operators and other data providers – should look into complaints of high data charges.
Kazako said that although service providers mention government taxes as one the factors leading to high data prices, the service providers still make huge profits.
In Malawi, mobile data services are provided by TNM and Airtel Malawi. A 1GB bundle that is valid for 30 days on Airtel costs K3500 (about US$4.7). On Tnm, a similar data bundle also costs K3500.
Recently, Tnm’s head of Marketing Communications Louis Chipofya said data prices will fall if more people are using the data.
“As a Malawian company, TNM is committed to see data prices continue to go down but this is only achievable if more people start using data to achieve economies of scale resulting in reduced data pricing per GB,” he said.
