Malawi: Airtel Share Sale On Malawi Stock Exchange Under Intense Scrutiny - allAfrica.com

Malawi: Airtel Share Sale On Malawi Stock Exchange Under Intense Scrutiny - allAfrica.com: Multi-national mobile telecommunications network operator Airtel management decision to sell shares in the company has attracted mixed reactions as well as intense scrutiny with some Malawians already expressing reservations.

Aitel is offering a total of 2.2 billion shares at a price of K12.69 per share on the Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE), allowing the public for the first time to own part of the telecommunications firm.

he company's offer represents Malawi's largest Initial Public Offer (IPO) in the history of MSE listing.

Our Comment on Airtel Shares Offer

The big financial news during the last days of 2019 has been the announcement by Airtel that it is offering  2.2 billion shares primarily to Malawians pegged MK12.69 per share. This will be listed on Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE) for individuals.

There are at least three arguments for attracting foreign investment. The first is that it brings in new capital. The second is that it will bring technology and the third is that will help open up foreign markets for the host country.  The Airtel deal fails in at least two of these. It does not bring in new capital. Instead, it is borrowing locally. Its services are necessarily not tradable so it will not be contributing to Malawi’s export and forex earnings. As for technological, the technologies it used are quite standard.

Unless a foreign company is bringing in new technology and expanding the country’s export there is really no reason for allowing the company to raise funds locally.  Allowing Airtel to borrow locally without insisting on the reciprocal augmentation of Malawi’s technological capacity or export simply leads to the crowding out of domestic enterprises.

Domestic entrepreneurs complain about the lack of credit. Airtel’s offer suggests that there are large sums of funds looking for outlets. We know that pension funds are sitting on more than two billion dollars.  The offer also confirms the indigenous capitalist's complaint that the stock market does not serve them.

What all this point towards is the need for the revival of national development institutions like MDC to lend to national capitalists or, through joint ventures, to acquire new technology and open up export markets. The Airtel deal is bad one. It is short-sighted and indicative of a complete lack of development strategy by the government.

TNM posts K16 billion profit - The Times Group Malawi

TNM posts K16 billion profit - The Times Group Malawi: Malawi Stock Exchange-listed integrated ICT services provider, TNM, had a good 12 months in 2018 as it saw its after-tax profit surging by 27 percent, the firm said Thursday.

TNM said in a statement Thursday its net profit jumped from K13.10 billion in 2017 to K16.66 billion in 2018.

AIRTEL says data prices are falling - The Express

AIRTEL  says data prices are falling - The Express: "MOBILE data prices in Malawi have been on a significant downward spiral over the past two years, dropping by an average of 40 percent per annum contradicting claims by subscribers that the country had some of the most expensive data tariffs in the SADC region.

Airtel Malawi’s corporate communications manager, Norah Chavula-Chirwa told The Express that the costs were even lower than in some coastal countries, considering the fact that data costs more in landlocked states"



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MACRA to cut cost of calls from Malawi mobile phone operators | Malawi Nyasa Times - Malawi breaking news in Malawi

MACRA to cut cost of calls from Malawi mobile phone operators | Malawi Nyasa Times - Malawi breaking news in Malawi: "Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) says from 1st January, 2018, it will start reducing calling rates in order for people to make phone calls at affordable prices in the country.  MACRA’s Director General Godfrey Itaye said this in Blantyre when he announced the setting up of maximum call termination rates towards improving affordability of making calls in the country."



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Malawi to benefit from Gateway SADC terrestrial rollout plan

Malawi to benefit from Gateway SADC terrestrial rollout plan:
LILONGWE: The next phase of Gateway Communications' terrestrial network project for 2011 has now gone live in Malawi. The supplier of pan-African telecommunications services has connected a fibre optic terrestrial route in-country that will provide capacity via the SEACOM and EASSy sub-sea cables."

Bharti to invest $100 million in Malawi: Africa CEO

LilongweTuesday, June 22, 2010 22:01 IS: Bharti Airtel will spend $100 million in the next three years on network expansion in Malawi, the head of the mobile phone operator's African unit said on Tuesday




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Bharti Airtel Bosses to visit Malawi

TOP officials from Asia’s leading telecommunications corporation Bharti Airtel are expected in Malawi this week to hold discussions in furtherance of their business interests with Zain Malawi management.

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MACRA starts G-Mobile licence revocation process

By: Gregory Gondwe

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) announced early last week that it has started the licence revocation process of Global Advanced Integrated Networks (G-Mobile), a company that would have been the country's third mobile phone service provider. MACRA PR officer Zadziko Mankhambo said they were compelled to start this process after G-mobile failed to beat a third deadline of 12 April 2010

Norsat Enters Wireless Networking with Sale of Wireless Equipment into Malawi

 Norsat International Inc. a leading provider of intelligent satellite solutions, announces that via its investing arm, Norsat Capital Inc,("Norsat Capital"), it has made its first strategic investment in a Malawi, Africa-based wireless broadband operator, Tonse Solutions ('Tonse'). TO REAM MORE CLICK HERE

GAIN seeks extension of network rollout deadline

Malawi’s third licensed mobile operator, Global Advanced Integrated Networks (GAIN), which intends to provide services under the G-Mobile banner, has admitted it will not be able to meet the 31 December 2009 deadline for the rollout of its network as stipulated by its licence, TO READ MORE CLICK HERE

Malawi’s Access Communications targets fixed line niche market with CDMA2000 EVDO Rev A network

Access Communications is currently rolling out its CDMA 2000 EVDO Rev A network (which will operate on 800 mghz) in 4 cities in Malawi: Blantyre, Lilongwe, Muzuzu and Zomba. By the end of this month the capital will be covered and the others by April 2010.TO READ MORE

G-Mobie partners with Alliance Media in Malawi

Malawi's third mobile phone service provider, G-Mobile, has entered a pact with Alliance Media, Malawi's largest airport and outdoor media company to install billboards across the country, in the run up to its launch

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Zain Malawi wins 3G mobile phones licence

APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) Zain Malawi, a leading mobile service provider in the country, has finally received an International Mobile Telecommunication’s third generation (3G) licence which the company applied to government in 2006. READ MORE

Government stops issuance of two mobile licences

The Malawi government has suspended the decision by the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA), which awarded two licences to two companies when it had only advertised for one.READ MORE

MTL fibre cabling nears completion

Fixed land telephone operator, Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL), has announced it is almost through with its Fibre Cable Optic network project also known as the Back Bone which aims at facilitating speedy voice and data transmission from the main line to recipients. READ MORE