Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

SIM CARD REGISTRATION

Where do I go to register ?

Go to the phone company where you bought the sim card or its agents and distributors within your area.

How many phones can I register?

As many as you want as long as they are under your name.

What are the acceptable documents ?

Passport
Driver’s license
National ID
Voters registration card

When is the deadline ?

The process is on-going. a fixed deadline has not been set.

Who is supposed to register ?

Anyone with a sim card
Minors will be registered by their parents.
The sick, the old who cannot manage to walk to registration centers and those outside the country will be registered by someone after presentation of their identities.

What are the consequences if I register on behalf of someone ?

You inherit the responsibility and ownership. You will be held accountable for any wrong activity on the sim card.

Can someone register on behalf of others ?

Do not give your details to anyone to register on your behalf

Keep your information and only give it to the phone company or its designated agent.

Those asking to register on your behalf are thieves

If you give your information to them they will steal using your information and you will be in trouble.

What will happen if I don't register ?

The process has been suspended but phone operators are still registering numbers, however when the process resumes and you have not registered your card, your number will be barred from the network. This means you will not be able to use your phone until you register.

Do I need to pay for registration?

NO! Registration is free

I already registered with TNM Mpamba and Airtel Money. Do I need to register again?

Yes, every customer who is on Mpamba or Airtel money still needs to register their number with their various service providers.

Why is it important to have my sim card registered

Prevent sim boxing
Help recover stolen phones
Protection from hate texts, threats and incitation of violence
Create a conducive environment for all phone users and instill discipline in those that abuse phones.
Help law enforcers’ track down criminals who use phones for illegal activities.
Curb fraud and theft that occurs through the use of phones.

LICENSING

How do I become a certified radio station in Malawi ?

Pay up and create your license

Spectrum Department

[ays_poll id=3]Generally Spectrum Management aims at;

Providing access to basic communication services to all Malawians through the use of available technologies i.e. wireless.
Ensuring effective utilization with equitable access.
Accommodating future needs and requirements by careful planning
Harmonizing national and regional best practices with international trends
Enhancing socio-economic growth of Malawi through better spectrum pricing

MACRA is putting in place spectrum management policies that must are flexible and responsive to the needs of the market, recognizing that each class of spectrum user has different requirements. For example, promoting the use spectrum -efficient technologies, such as narrow band transmission, trunking between cells with high mutual traffic loads and digital signaling, can sometimes relieve crowding in the mobile radio frequencies thereby addressing the challenges in the way the radio frequency spectrum is managed.

Principles of Assignment

Depending on the type of service to be licensed, frequencies shall be assigned based on “first-come, first-served” basis so long as frequencies are available and that the licensing requirements are satisfied. When spectrum shortage is anticipated or when specific government goals are being pursued to foster competition in a particular business sub-sector or for other specific reasons, this approach may be dropped and selection procedures adopted to ensure that spectrum is efficiently and effectively utilized. In situations of spectrum shortages, preference will also be given to those providing greater public benefits, the spectrum utilization and overall efficiency irrespective of date of receipt of the applications concerned.
Other assignment types that can be followed include Spectrum Auction, Beauty Contest, Spectrum Trading e.t.c.

Spectrum Pricing
A full table of prices applicable to terrestrial spectrum services is made available.
All users of frequencies shall be required to pay a fee, including Government Agencies or departments except those that are exempt from paying the applicable fees. The fees paid upon registration shall be renewable annually at a rate to be specified under the licence conditions. The price charged for the spectrum assigned will among other factors be dependent on such factors as size, level of competition and classification of spectrum (prime / non-prime) as well as the administrative overhead costs associated with monitoring and management.

The price that is charged for the spectrum will as much as practically possible be proportional to the derivable benefits and level of usage within the band.

Exempt / Waiver categories
Any waiver in part or in full of spectrum fees will only apply under the appropriate legislation and any regulations made there under. Exempt categories, i.e. ISM band (2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz) shall nevertheless be required to pay a registration fee determined by the Authority.

Spectrum Planning
MACRA on a regular basis will review utilization of the spectrum in response to present, emerging and future needs. The plans will be based on the technological and other needs of the country especially in the area of universality. Particular attention will be drawn to promoting and making available the spectrum for use in wireless technologies to be used in rural and under-served communities. This process shall facilitate opening of new bands and re-allocation of frequency spectrum to operators if found necessary to ensure effective and efficient use of the frequency spectrum.

MACRA shall take into consideration all relevant key stakeholders in the sector during any review process as well as international radiocommunication conferences i.e. The World Radio Conference (WRC) where major spectrum decisions are taken. In terms of planning, critical issues that are considered include;

ITU Table of Allocation (especially for Region 1).
Regional Frequency Allocation Plan (SADC region).
National Frequency Band Plan.
Technology Neutrality.
Universal Access / Service requirements.
Frequency re-farming options.
Government / Security operations.
Public Safety and Disaster Preparedness.
Coordination needs with neighbouring countries (Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia).

Spectrum Monitoring
MACRA continually monitors the usage of the spectrum through the Frequency Management & Monitoring (FMM) equipment that has remote monitoring stations distributed within the country. This is done to ensure;

Compliance to specified technical operating standards.
Resolving cases of harmful interference.
Eliminating illegal / unlicensed operations in the sector.
Protecting licensees within the framework of legal operation.

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