Airtel Malawi has announced plans to expand its international data links and add more local fiber providers to address recent network issues affecting voice and data services.
According to Abdul Shaik, Acting Managing Director of Airtel Malawi, the company is committed to improving service quality and mitigating disruptions from neighboring countries and local fiber outages.
“As a landlocked country, Malawi relies on foreign service providers for its data services,” Shaik explained in a stastement.
He further said: “During the festive season, our primary fiber link from Mozambique experienced extended downtimes due to security challenges, which delayed service restoration. Additionally, backup links via Zambia were affected by power outages, leading to service degradation.”
Shaik noted that frequent vandalism and road construction in Malawi also led to several fiber outages, causing intermittent data and voice services.
To address these challenges, Airtel Malawi has added ESCOM as an additional local fiber provider to provide greater protection on key routes.
The company is also working to increase capacity on its fiber link from Tanzania to further secure its international connections.
“These initiatives will be completed by the end of January 2025, and we will provide a subsequent update on the progress,”
“We remain committed to improving service quality and will continue engaging with our local and international fiber service providers for faster resolution and resilience measures,” Shaik said
Airtel Malawi is one of the leading telecommunications companies in Malawi, providing a range of services including voice, data, and mobile money.
