Malawi introduces international calling cards

This facility is currently in use in South Africa.

Interkad Limited, a company behind the facility announced in Blantyre on 5 May 2008 that the international calling card will allow subscribers make international calls at a reduced rate.

“We have introduced this card since it is the cost effective way of accessing international calls,” said Interkad Limited Managing Director Anthony Phanga.

The company's Chief Technical Director Chris Kanyuka said the card, which is internet based, is 70% cheaper than other services on offer.

“What this means is that using this card to call the United Kingdom would cost US$0.23 per minute while other networks are charging US$2 per minute which by all means is affordable,” said Kanyuka.

Interkad, which was incorporated in 2007, was authorised to conduct business of international calling cards by the Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) this year.

The company has announced that the cards will first be accessed in all outlets across Malawi starting on Wednesday 7 May.

“Subscribers will dial the access number indicated on the calling card where they would be connected to the company's call centre,” Kanyuka said.

The company will be marketing and distributing cards using the “Callback” system.

Kanyuka explained that International Callback is a mode of telephone communications that allows an end user to make a non-chargeable call to a call back centre using a local access number, which, after automatically dropping the call, phones the user back and allows them to enter the destination number and complete the connection over an efficient network.

The call is over an existing mobile or fixed line which does not hide or mask the Caller Line Identification (CLI).