The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is planning to establish a universal access fund (UAF) to ensure that rural areas of the country are served by mobile services, according to reports.

‘The fund is expected to facilitate the provision of services to those areas where operators are currently facing challenges to provide services,’ Biztech Africa quotes the regulator’s communications officer, Clara Mulonya, as saying.

She added that a specialized committee will be responsible for the evaluation of areas that are currently not served by mobile telephony services and to determine how much investment will be required to supply such communities. Under the scheme, subsidies will then be offered to telecoms operators as an incentive to roll out services to unserved and rural areas.