02 November 2022

The Communications Regulation Authority of Malawi (MACRA) has granted its first high-speed low latency broadband satellite internet service licences to StarLink Lilongwe Limited.

“StarLink has been issued with the following licences: network facilities, network services and application service which will be effective on the day when they will be published in the government gazette,” said MACRA director general Daud Suleman.

The Malawi government is hoping that the new entrant will help the country tackle ongoing internet challenges, specifically the high cost of data. Consumers have initiated online campaigns to lobby for a reduction in the price of data and in April 2021, the government directed MACRA to engage MNOs to reduce their prices. While there has been some reduction, further concession demands on pricing continue.

“New internet players in the sector must know this as the government aims at ensuring that data services are affordable to all Malawians,” said minister of information and digitalisation Gospel Kazako.

Malawi becomes the third country in Southern Africa after Mozambique and Zambia to grant regulatory approval this year for StarLink’s internet connectivity.