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| Business |
| Macra to decide cellular operator’s fate on Feb. 6 |
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by
Tadala Makata Kakwesa, 12 January 2005
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14:57:21
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Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) board of directors will meet early next month to decide the fate of the country’s third mobile company which risks losing its licence.
The company known as Malawi Mobile Limited (MML) was given a deadline of six months from August 2004 for failing to start rolling out with its four-year-old licence and was also slapped with a penalty of $100,000 for delaying and another $100,000 as an annual licence fee.
Macra’s director general Evance Namanja said in an interview the fate of the company would be decided on February 6 after giving the company ample time to make its position clear.
“We have given them a deadline and on 6th February, if nothing is done by then, the board will decide on its next step,” said Namanja.
MML lawyer Khuze Kapeta said if the licence is revoked, the company will decide what to do since, he said, they have done everything possible to meet Macra’s requirements.
“What is needed as the next move is to comply and Macra did shift the date in order to give us enough time since some of the directors are overseas and it may not be smooth where the procedural process of implementation is concerned. We will try to comply with the rules,” said Kapeta.
He, however, refused to disclose whether the company has already paid the $100,000 dollar penalty as required saying he does not want to pre-empt the issue before the board meeting decides.
Macra’s decision on Malawi Mobile will determine the country’s status in the cell phone business after Telekom Malaysia indicated it is pulling out its 60 percent shares from Telekom Networks Malawi.
MML got its 15-year-old licence in April 2002 and was expected to have coverage in Blantyre, Thyolo, Zomba, Mwanza, Mulanje, Ntcheu, Dedza Lilongwe, Salima, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Rumphi, Mzimba, and Karonga, among other districts.
Government through the Ministry of Information gave Macra a deadline of June 1 last year to sort out the MML issue failing which it would offer the licence to another cell phone service provider.
The company’s directors include former president Bakili Muluzi’s sister Esnart Phiri, Brian Bowler who is currently on a diplomatic position in Brussels, Ivan Maloya Mwale and Shahid Phaheed.
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