Airtel Malawi restructures Chezani Voice and Data bundles

* The prices have on average been revised upwards by 15% and 20% for voice and data bundles respectively

* The prices for some bundles have reduced while others remain unchanged

By Duncan Mlanjira

Effective from Tuesday, December 5, 2023, Airtel Malawi Plc restructured its Chezani Voice and Data bundle portfolios to simplify them for the customers and also change in prices.

A statement from Airtel Malawi says the prices have on average been revised upwards by 15% and 20% for voice and data bundles respectively.

“The prices for some bundles have reduced while others remain unchanged,” said the statement. “The change is just a partial cost recovery and has been necessitated by the country’s recent developments in macro-economic factors which include cumulative loss of value of the kwacha by 64% since June 2023.”

The statement also adds that the subsequent increase in electricity tariffs by 18% in September 2023 and the increase in diesel price by 42.4% has also necessitated the price increase.

“These costs form a major part of our operational costs on a daily basis, and have since significantly increased the cost of doing business for Airtel Malawi Plc. At this level of cost escalation, it is unsustainable to continue at the current price levels.

“It is important that Airtel continues to be sustainable so that it can further invest in the network and ensure better service delivery to its customers.

The leading provider of mobile telecommunications services in Malawi furthers says all the changes have been approved by Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA).