Telecoms Regulator sanctions Airtel in Malawi

Malawi’s Telecoms Regulator has fined the local business of India’s Bharti Airtel over $2.5m (£1.9m) for failing to give customers airtime they were owed as part of a loyalty scheme.

The Competition and Fair Trade Commission launched an investigation after receiving complaints from customers.

It found that Airtel Malawi had stopped automatically crediting customers’ accounts with monthly bonuses, a move which enabled it to make a financial gain of about $2.5m.

The Commission sanctioned the company for what it described as “unconscionable conduct.”

At $14b, the global annual revenue of India’s Bharti Airtel is almost double the size of Malawi’s entire economy.

BBC /Shakirat Sadiq