Macra launches second TV white spaces project

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has launched the second pilot project of Television White Spaces Test Bed at Mulanje Secondary School and Chitakale Teacher Development Centre (TDC) in Mulanje.
The technology takes advantage of free or unused television channels to provide internet connectivity.
Speaking during the launch at Mulanje Secondary School on Thursday, Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture Kondwani Nankhumwa hailed the project which, he said, would revolutionalise information and communications technology (ICT) in the country.

Said Nankhumwa: “In order for the country to fully benefit from the information revolution the world is undergoing, Malawi needs to modernise various sectors of its economy using ICT. ”
Macra director general Andrew Kumbatira said his organisation plans to expand the initiative to other areas, particularly in the Centre and North, should the pilot projects be successful.
The first project was launched in Zomba covering Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Airwing, St. Mary’s Girls Secondary School, Geological Survey Seismology Unit and Pirimiti Community Health Centre.
The Physics Department of Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi was technical implementer and researcher of the technology while Microsoft Corporation of the United States of America (USA) and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) of Italy provided the equipment for the two projects.