Calls for Malawi to reduce high telecom taxes
Malawi's telecom infrastructure remains underdeveloped, while progress towards extending the reach of services is hindered by the limited capacity of the electricity grid, especially in rural areas.
A national fibre backbone has been built to connect all 28 districts in the country. Started in May 2017, the first phase of the project, running to 1,320km, was completed in 2018. The second phase, running to 2,800km, was started in June 2021. This phase also included a new data centre, and connected an additional 29 cities.
Malawi is linked to the national telecom network of Tanzania, and through this it has onward connectivity to Mozambique, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia.
However, capacity remains low and as a result the wholesale price for bandwidth is high, despite several successful orders obliging the telcos to reduce costs for end-users.
An additional burden is the high tax for telecom services. The 17.5% tax on mobile phone sales introduced in 2015 is considered one of the main reasons why Malawi has low smartphone take-up. In January 2022 the Malawi Confederations of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the ICT Association of Malawi called on the government to reduce taxes imposed on ICT services. These taxes, together with spectrum fees and annual licence fees paid by operators, have raised the cost of internet services and thus contributed to them being unaffordable for a significant proportion of the population.
The telecom regulator in August 2021 published a report which noted the economic boost to be gained if the estimated two million people who had no access to the internet were connected, so enabling them to take part in the digital economy. The report influenced the government to adopt a five-year universal services strategy, under which some 720,000 Malawians are to be connected to broadband, while 1,300 institutions will be provided with Wi-Fi.
Table of Contents
Key statistics- Regional Africa Market Comparison
- Market characteristics
- Market Leaders
- Market Challengers
- Market Emergents
- TMI vs GDP
- Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
- Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration
Country overview
- Telecommunications market
- Market analysis
Regulatory environment
- Malawi Communications Act 1998
- Malawi Communications Act 2016
- ICT Policy
- Regulatory authority
- Fixed-line developments
- Mobile network developments
Mobile market
- Market analysis
- Mobile statistics
- Mobile infrastructure
- Major mobile operators
- Mobile content and applications
Fixed-line broadband market
- Introduction and statistical overview
- Broadband statistics
- Fixed-line broadband technologies
- Wi-Fi/WiMAX
Digital economy
- Fixed network operators
- Malawi Telecom (MTL)
- Access Communications
Telecommunications infrastructure
- Overview of the national telecom network
- International infrastructure
Appendix Historic data
- Glossary of abbreviations
- Related reports
List of Tables
- Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Malawi 2022 (e)
- Table 2 Development of telecom revenue (MWK million) 2013 2019
- Table 3 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration 2012 2027
- Table 4 Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2012 2027
- Table 5 Development of TNM's financials (MWK billion) 2012 2021
- Table 6 Development of TNM's mobile ARPU 2012 2018
- Table 7 TNM mobile subscribers 2012 2021
- Table 8 TNM mobile bases stations in service 2014 2020
- Table 9 Airtel Malawi mobile subscribers 2016 2021
- Table 10 Fixed broadband subscribers 2012 2022
- Table 11 Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Malawi 2012 2022
- Table 12 International bandwidth 2012 2020
- Table 13 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Malawi 1999 2011
- Table 14 Historic - Internet users and penetration rate 1999 2014
- Table 15 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Malawi 1999 2011
- Table 16 Historic -TNM financial results (MWK billion) 2009 2011
- Table 17 Historic - Fixed broadband subscribers 2006 2011
- Table 18 Historic - International bandwidth 2006 2011
- Table 19 Historic TNM ARPU ($) 2009 - 2019
List of Charts
- Chart 1 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Leaders
- Chart 2 Africa Market Leaders global ranking
- Chart 3 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Challengers
- Chart 4 Africa Market Challengers global ranking
- Chart 5 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Emergents
- Chart 6 Africa Market Emergents global ranking
- Chart 7 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
- Chart 8 Africa Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
- Chart 9 Africa Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
- Chart 10 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration 2012 2027
- Chart 11 Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration 2012 2027
- Chart 12 Development of TNM's financials 2012 2021
- Chart 13 Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2012 2022
List of Exhibits
- Exhibit 1 Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Africa
- Exhibit 2 Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
- Exhibit 3 Africa Market Leaders and market developments
- Exhibit 4 Africa Market Challengers and market developments
- Exhibit 5 Africa Market Emergents and market developments
