By Brenda Kayo:
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has said it has created more than 150 Frequency Modulation (FM) spaces, which will be allocated to new applicants.
Macra Director General Daudi Suleman said this yesterday at a press conference held in Lilongwe.
Suleman said there are 30 new spaces for radio stations at national level, 20 new spaces at regional level and 100 new spaces for community radio stations where new applicants can register to operate a radio station in the country.
He said radio stations will be operating with one or two frequencies at national level, which will give other radio stations space to have new entries into the system, thereby creating more job opportunities for Malawians.
“This is a milestone to the broadcasting sector because it will help us have a scalable network and, most importantly, we have now created space where we can now licence 150 additional radio stations.
“This means that there will be growth in the sector and we will give Malawians a chance to have choice on where they can access news and entertainment [programmes],” Suleman said.
However, Suleman indicated that the issuance of FM frequencies to new applicants will wait for the appointment of Macra’s new board of directors.
Meanwhile, Macra has announced that it is implementing two regulatory systems in Malawi, namely Revenue Assurance System and Central Equipment Identification Registry.
Suleman said with Revenue Assurance System, the regulator will be able to account for revenue that has been made by operators who use spectrum in the country.
He added that the regulator will be able to bill them based on revenue they have made.
He added that, with the Central Equipment Identification Registry, the board will fortify the space around mobile devices of operators to increase security levels in the country.
Suleman said devices that are fake or have been stolen from other countries will be traced through the system and will not be able to operate in Malawi.
He said this has come about to combat cases of mobile fraud, which have become a thorn in officials’ flesh.
