Malawian mobile network users woke up on Friday paying more for less after Airtel Malawi and TNM quietly increased the prices of their bundles packages.
The unannounced changes affected both voice, SMS and internet packages, leaving many subscribers questioning why they were not informed before the new prices took effect.
For example, TNM has increased the price of its Mixit Weekly bundle from K2,100 to K2,500 while reducing the data volume from 3GB to 2GB.
Airtel Malawi has made a similar adjustment, raising the price of its Chezafaya Weekly bundle from K2,100 to K2,500 while also cutting the data volume from 3GB to 2GB.
The changes quickly sparked outrage on social media, where users accused the two mobile operators of introducing the new tariffs without notifying customers.
“So TNM and Airtel Malawi have decided to revise upwards the cost of data bundles without notifying their customers. Well played. Well played,” wrote one user.
Another customer complained that while service charges continue to rise, commissions remain low for agents.
“Ma bundle kukweza, ma withdrawal fee kukweza koma ma commission kakaka pomwepo. Anthuwa amatitola apopo. Customer adula K12,000, ife kumatipatsa K1,750,” the user wrote.
Others argued that the similar price adjustments reflect the nature of competition in Malawi’s telecommunications market.
“These guys do business together, they are somehow friends! It seems many people were shocked today to wake up to increased Airtel Malawi bundle prices. As a result, I’ve seen a lot of people saying, ‘I will switch to TNM.’
“Economically, there’s a market structure called an oligopoly. In an oligopoly, there are only a few competitors, so any move by one player forces the others to react. A good example is Airtel Malawi, TNM and MTL,” the user commented.
Neither Airtel Malawi nor TNM had publicly explained the latest price adjustments by Thursday, leaving customers demanding answers over the higher costs and reduced data volumes.
