Airtel Malawi says it invested nearly MWK81 billion in network expansion and technology upgrades during the ten months before a November 3 meeting with the Parliament Media, Information and Communications Committee. TechAfrica News reported the announcement on November 6.

The company said data traffic on its network had increased by more than 50 percent as customers used digital services for communication, business, education, entertainment and financial transactions.

Airtel reported adding 275 towers over 12 months, upgrading 563 data sites and 90 voice sites, expanding 5G coverage to 123 towers, and extending its fibre network to nearly 2,800 kilometres. It put population coverage at 87 percent and said it planned more than 200 additional sites in 2027.

The operator also cited foreign-exchange constraints, energy and fuel supply, fibre cuts and infrastructure vandalism as operational challenges. It said about 315 sites outside the national electricity grid use around 800,000 litres of diesel each month.

The investment, coverage and traffic figures are company-reported claims carried by TechAfrica News, not an independent assessment of nationwide connectivity.