Macra moves to asses ICT market

Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) says it will assess and analyse the market for electronic communications sector in the country, a move that may see consumers benefitting through effective interventions by the regulator.

Speaking in an interview at Protea Ryalls Hotel in Blantyre on Wednesday on the sidelines of a workshop on competition assessment and market analysis for electronic communications sector, the regulator’s deputy director of spectrum management Jonathan Pinifolo said the training was aimed at enhancing their economic regulatory functions.

The training was jointly organised by Macra and International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a global telecommunication umbrella body.

He said after developing a framework for competition assessment, the communications sector regulator would be able to intervene in the market.

“The aim of this workshop is to help us define a framework for competition assessment and market analysis for the electronic communications sector with the involvement of the operators and regulators in the country.

“It also aims to provide guidance on retail and wholesale regulatory regime in consultation with relevant stakeholders and develop criteria for market definition,” said Pinifolo.

Macra economist Andrew Nyirenda, also speaking in an interview, said because the regulator is an interface between operators and consumers, it is important that the regulator moves into market issues compared to an emphasis on technical issues.

The two-day workshop involved basics of competition, market assessment, an overview of the Malawi information and communication technology (ICT) market, retail prices, regulating wholesale prices and market definitions in practice.

The workshop, which included local operators, including SDNP, Celcom, the University of Malawi, Airtel, Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) and TNM, was facilitated by Andrew Dymond, a consultant from Research ICT Solutions, who is also a market and regulatory strategist.

The workshop was also graced by ITU Africa regional office representative Anne-Rita Ssemboga.