Telecom companies in Madagascar just agreed to drop internet prices after the Ministry of Digital Development leaned on them about accessibility. Minister Mahefa Andriamampiadana said the cuts will vary based on what each operator can handle financially, and he wants fixed internet plans to stop charging purely by data caps because that setup screws over casual users who barely use anything.
The ministry pushed operators to switch pricing models toward connection quality and speed instead of gigabyte buckets, which lines up better with how the rest of the world does it. Carriers also asked to ditch excise taxes, and the government said maybe if it does not wreck the budget, but any savings need to flow back into better infrastructure and faster speeds instead of just padding profit margins.
The ministry pushed operators to switch pricing models toward connection quality and speed instead of gigabyte buckets, which lines up better with how the rest of the world does it. Carriers also asked to ditch excise taxes, and the government said maybe if it does not wreck the budget, but any savings need to flow back into better infrastructure and faster speeds instead of just padding profit margins.
