Business
MACRA TIPS CONSUMERS ON MOBILE DATA USAGE
December 20, 2020 / Bester Kayaye
The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority(MACRA) says there is need for thorough understanding by consumers on usage of mobile data in the fast paced digital era.
MACRA Deputy Director Thokozani Chimbe made this observation during a panel discussion the institution organised to address consumer concerns on mobile data user experience in the country.
Chimbe said: “We have been receiving complaints from members of the general public over poor service quality of mobile data from the country’s mobile network providers.”
“In most scenarios, we established that there is information gap between consumers and service providers on how to efficiently utilize some of the mobile handsets among others tools and settings applied to minimize external applications from consuming data.”
She said MACRA will liaise with its technical and economic units to come up with necessary regulatory interventions to address the issue.
Digital Experience Manager at AIRTEL Michael Mang’anda said in its efforts to ensure Internet affordability by many Malawians, the company has recently slashed pay-as-go data pricing by 50% from K30 per megabyte to K15 per megabyte.
Internet remains unaffordable for a majority of Malawians, and studies reveal that even though there has been an improvement on Internet access, from 9.6% in 2016 to 13.1% in 2018, the Internet speed is slow as compared to the global average.
In 2015, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) findings indicated that on average Malawians use more than $12 (about K8 760) a month on mobile phones, the primary means of accessing the Internet. The report indicated that [at the time] the $12 was more than half of what an ordinary Malawian earned in a month with the minimum wage standing at K15 000.
The latest Malawi Economic Monitor by the World Bank has faulted high taxation as one of the major factors behind exorbitant internet charges in the country.
Share this:
Leave a Comment
Comments
Mining & Trade Review News
Agribusiness News
Subscribe to Newsletter
Rehabilitation:
The establishment of a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem, but not necessarily the one that existed before mining began. In many cases, complete restoration may be impossible, but successful remediation, reclamation, and rehabilitation can result in the timely establishment of a functional ecosystem.
Archives
Remediation:
The cleanup of the contaminated area to safe levels by removing or isolating contaminants. At mine sites, remediation often consists of isolating contaminated material in pre-existing tailings storage facilities, capping tailings and waste rock stockpiles with clean topsoil, and collecting and treating any contaminated mine water if necessary.
Stakeholders Logos
