Malawi’s Internet costs have vastly dropped since the days of $100/month for a 20kbps connection six years ago. Still, the presence of a fibre cable does not mean immediate reductions in Internet costs for consumers. Due to Malawi’s landlocked location, the country must link to international fibre via Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa. Fibre first arrived in 2009 and links to SEACOM and EASSy went live in May 2011.

Interviews with Patricia Kaliati, MP (Minister of Information) and Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL shed light on how Malawi’s fibre costs are slowly decreasing (courtesy MBC in the above video):

• costs must drop before Malawi can “make it as an ICT nation”
• want a combination of affordable, quick, and reliable service
• buy capacity from 30 partners
• price has come down more than 50% in the past year
• MTL keeps negotiating from suppliers to give consumers the best price possible
• “Internet is very expensive”
• Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL: “we shouldn’t be saying every Malawian has access to the Internet; we should be saying the majority of Malawians have access to the Internet.”

Moreover, the Malawian government is also committed to lowering the cost of international connectivity through the ongoing Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme – Malawi Project (RCIPMW).