Govt wants Macra to level the playing field

Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi yesterday said government wants a politically-independent Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) to level the playing field in the telecommunications industry.

Speaking after touring Macra offices in Blantyre yesterday, the minister said government expects Macra to work according to the Communications Act.

“Macra, being a regulator in the communications sector, discharges its duties as stipulated by the Communications Act. There is nothing like politicisation of the authority.

“As government, we are more concerned about seeing more of local content and production which is well monitored and in line with the country’s development agenda,” he said.

Meanwhile, Macra says it expects to see more telecommunication entrants in rural areas due to the recently rolled out new spectrum pricing model.

Under the new spectrum pricing model, the price which users pay to access the radio spectrum is set at a level which encourages efficient usage and maximises economic benefits.

Macra director general Godfrey Itaye said currently, the regulator is issuing quotations to operators on the same.

He said: “We have come up with a pricing model that would see players wanting to operate in the rural areas being charged less and this should benefit rural areas in terms of telecommunication penetration.

“We hope for more interests from players, and as a country, we should be seeing the benefits of the strategy very soon.”