Celtel Malawi chalks a million subscribers

Celtel Malawi managing director, Fayaz King, lauded the company's customers for the achievement, which he said has been possible because of Malawi's economic policies, which have created a conducive environment for investors.

Recently, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe announced in his national budget presentation speech, the removal of duty and excise tax on handsets meant to curb smuggling of phones.

“The removal of duty on handsets allowed us to reduce [prices of] our phones from K3,900 to K2,499 each,” said King who added that removal of surtax and other duties on telecommunications equipment has made Celtel more competitive in the market with up to date technological equipment.

To show the company's gratitude to its customers, King announced that Celtel would be running a draw at a date to be announced shortly where 10,000 customers under its loyalty program would receive each 10,000 units worth of free airtime.

King also announced that the millionth customer would be rewarded with a top of the range GPRS-enabled handset plus 10,000 units.

A Celtel survey indicates that at least 10 out of 12 Malawians use a Celtel line.

Celtel coverage is said to be at 84% of the population, having the widest network in Malawi and the Celtel International Group as well.