The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has announced the creation of space for an additional 150 radio stations in Malawi through frequency re-farming.
During an update on the process of switching to a new FM broadcasting network, MACRA Director General Daudi Suleman stated that all radio stations are now broadcasting on their new frequencies across the country.
He added that this milestone will help create a scalable network and most importantly, license 150 new radio stations.
“After the re-farming exercise, there are currently 35 national radios with room for 30 more radios, while MACRA has licensed 18 regional radio stations with space for another 20. Community radio stations can go up to a maximum of 100.
Suleman also addressed challenges faced during the switch-over process such as poor sound quality and assured citizens that these issues have been resolved.
However, he acknowledged some gaps still exist and both MACRA and broadcasters are working towards addressing them.
Additionally, Suleman announced two upcoming initiatives starting in April: The Revenue Assurance System and Central Equipment Identification Registry.
“The former will enable regulators to account for revenue made in the sector accurately and subsequently bill operators correctly. Without it, they risk billing based solely on speculation rather than actual data.
“The latter initiative aims to fortify mobile device security by ensuring stolen or fake devices cannot operate within Malawi’s borders,” he Sule
This system is believed to increase confidence among users when purchasing or using mobile devices while helping combat mobile money fraud in the country, according to Suleman.
