MACRA gives G-Mobile another deadline

In June last year, MACRA had given the company the 31 December deadline, but when it was clear that it would not happen, it changed the goal post and set 20 January 2010 as the date for the company to roll out its network services.

MACRA communications manager Zadziko Mankhambo told a local daily that it had written to G-Mobile on Monday, 22 February 2010 to either roll out or have their licence revoked.

Last year the company announced that it had entered a deal with South Africa's Beryl Capital and Telecoms worth US$90m for the supply, installation and commissioning of the company in the country.

For the deal to work, local shareholders decided to sell 75 % shares of a Botswana-based partner Peter Lamplough to Beryl Telecoms a move that was legally challenged by Lamplough and rejected by MACRA.

A commercial court in Blantyre had given the nod to G-Mobile to engage Beryl Telecoms into its project after they complained to the court that Lamplough did not have money to invest in the project and was also uncooperative to allow Beryl Telecoms, which had signed an agreement with G-mobile to buy majority shares in the company.

G-Mobile director of administration, Harold Muyawa said the delay was because they had entered into negotiations with competitors in the market - Zain Malawi and TNM - on issues of co-sitting in areas where they have towers, which took some time.