Malawi is exploring lower-cost solutions to bridge the digital divide
September 15th 2026
The digital divide is particularly pronounced in Malawi. GSMA data shows that approximately 90% of the country’s population does not yet use the internet.
Malawian authorities are exploring affordable solutions to accelerate the deployment of the telecommunications network, particularly in rural areas. Discussions on this topic have taken place in recent days with the Chinese technology company Huawei and with the telecommunications tower operator Helios Towers, which already operates in the country.
“Conventional, costly towers could complicate the extension of connectivity to underserved communities. As a regulator, we are open to solutions that would allow Malawi to improve connectivity with limited resources ,” said Mayamiko Nkoloma, Director General of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), during a meeting with Helios Towers, according to a statement posted on social media on Friday, September 11.
Along similar lines, Huawei had presented a compact telecommunications site to MACRA a few days earlier, mounted on a pole rather than a conventional tower. This site integrates, among other things, a solar power supply, radio equipment, a microwave transmission system, a baseband, and other components.
The Shenzhen-based company explained to the telecoms regulator that this solution could reduce deployment costs and facilitate the extension of connectivity to small rural communities where conventional infrastructure would not be commercially viable.
This initiative comes at a time when 82% of Malawi’s population, estimated at 22.2 million, is projected to live in rural areas by 2025, according to World Bank data. The GSMA indicates in its “Malawi Digital Economy Report,” published in August 2026, that approximately 30% of the rural population does not use 4G, compared to 20% for 3G. Nationally, 13% of the population lacks 4G coverage, while 8% lacks 3G coverage.
Furthermore, the GSMA acknowledges that the remaining population percentages to be covered generally require larger investments, as they often encompass the most difficult and expensive areas to serve. Rural areas are frequently further from telecommunications infrastructure and power grids, forcing operators to deploy more sites, transmission links, and sometimes stand-alone power solutions. Low population density also reduces the number of users likely to make these investments profitable, while dispersed housing increases the distances each infrastructure needs to cover.
This low-cost infrastructure approach aims to accelerate the reduction of the digital divide in a country where internet penetration is only 12.5%, according to the GSMA. However, it remains to be seen whether this infrastructure will be efficient enough to allow the affected populations to fully participate in digital life. Moreover, the gap between coverage and penetration rates shows that the problem is not solely one of network coverage. The GSMA estimates that approximately 80% of the population lives in an area covered by mobile broadband but does not use mobile internet.
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