TCRA|Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority

30th PAPU Anniversary Celebration 18 - 21 January 2010
The 30th Anniversary celebration of Pan African Postal Union will be held at AICC, ARUSHA, TANZANIA from 18th to 21st January 2010.

THEME: THE POST A VERITABLE MEANS FOR BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

During the celebrations, international high-level presentations on pertinent issues of development of postal services will be made covering subjects such as the national addressing system, harmonization of postal policies, regulations and strategies for sustainable postal development, development of financial and e-services, provision of universal postal services and the role of postal services in national development. Member countries will produce commemorative stamps which will be unveiled in Arusha together with a special souvenir book. Further details are available on the links below;

General Information

Registration Form

List of Hotels

30th PAPU Anniversary Page

Comparative Study on Tariffs for Voice Telephone in EAC

9th ANNUAL BROADCASTERS’ CONFERENCE
The 9th Annual Broadcasters Conference (ABC) is going to be held at Kunduchi Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam on 4th December, 2009.

The conference which is expected to be opened by the Minister for Communication Science and Technology Prof. Peter Msolla (MP) will be attended by all licensed broadcasters and invited national broadcasting organizations and regulators from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.For more details click here

Taarifa Kwa Umma Usajili wa Simu za Mikononi
Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania inawajulisha wananchi kuwa kuanzia tarehe 1 Julai 2009 makampuni yote ya simu za mikononi yataanza kusajili wateja wao waliopo na wapya ili kuhakiki umiliki wa namba za simu wanazozitumia. Zoezi hili litaendelea kwa miezi sita hadi tarehe 31 Desemba 2009. Pata hapa Fomu ya Usajili na maelezo zaidi

Public Notice Simcard Registration
The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) would like to inform the general public that effective July 1st 2009 all mobile phone companies will start registration of their sim cards and numbers to ascertain ownership. This exercise will go on until December 31st 2009. Registration form and more information read here

Status of Telecom Market; March 2009 Report

Appointment of the TCRA Director General

In accordance with the provisions of Section 13 (1) of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act No.12 of 2003, the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, after submission by the Nominations Committee, and a competitive selection procedure as per Section 13 (6) of the TCRA Act, has appointed Prof. John S. Nkoma as the Director General of TCRA with effect from 1st July 2009. He is the current Director General and will be serving a second term of 5 years with this appointment.

Issued by

Public Relations Manager

Office of the Director General

Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority

Appointments of Members of the TCRA Board

In accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.-(2) of the First Schedule to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act No. 12 of 2003, the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, after submission by the Nominations Committee, and a competitive selection procedure as per Section 13 (6) of the TCRA Act, has appointed the following as members of the TCRA Board:

Eng. Baruany E.A. Luhanga

Dr Vuai Iddi Lila

Dr. Justinian Anatory

With these appointments, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 (1) of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act No.12 of 2003, the seven members of the TCRA Board are as follows, where the Chairman and Vice Chairman were appointed by the President in accordance with Section 7 (2) of the TCRA Act No.12 of 2003:

Hon. Judge Buxton Chipeta (Rtd) - Chairman

Dr. Suleiman J. Omar - Vice Chairman

Mr. Baruany E.A.T Luhanga - Member

Hon. Peter J. Serukamba (MP) - Member

Dr. Vuai Iddi Lila - Member

Dr. Justinian Anatory - Member

Prof. John S. Nkoma - Member and DG

Issued by
Public Relations Manager

Office of the Director General

Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority

Kusimamishwa Kwa Huduma ya Matangazo ya Televisheni Kwa Njia ya Satelaiti na Kampuni ya GTV Tanzania Limited
Mnamo siku ya Ijumaa ya tarehe 30 Januari 2009, Kampuni ya GTV (Tanzania) Limited ilisimamisha kutoa matangazo yake ya televisheni kwa njia ya satelaiti kwa wateja wake ghafla bila taarifa yeyote ya awali kwa wateja wake. Sababu za kusimamishwa matangazo ya GTV (Tanzanaia) Limited ni hali mbaya ya uchumi inayoendelea duniani ambapo kampuni ya Gateway Broadcast Services ya Uingereza ambayo ilikuwa inaipatia GTV (Tanzania) Limited Maudhui (content) ilifilisika baada ya kuathirika na hali hiyo mbaya ya kiuchumi.

Mnamo tarehe 2 Februari Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania (TCRA) ambayo pamoja na majukumu yake mengine ni kulinda maslahi na haki za wateja, iliwaita GTV katika ofisi zake ili kutoa taarifa ya yaliyotokea na kujadili haki za wateja wake. Kumekuwa na mikutano mingine kati ya Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano na GTV (Tanzania) ukiwemo wa tarehe 10 February 2009 katika kufuatilia haki za wateja.

Tunapenda kutoa maelezo yafuatayo kwa umma;

GTV (Tanzania) Limited inamilikiwa kwa mujibu wa matakwa ya Sheria na kanuni kwa asilimia 51 Mtanzania na GTV Holdings Limited (Mauritius) yenye kumiliki asilimia 49;

Kampuni ya GTV Tanzania Limited ilipewa leseni na Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano tarehe 12 Septemba 2007 ya kutoa huduma za matangazo ya televisheni ya kulipia kwa njia ya satelaiti Tanzania Bara;

GTV (Tanzania) Limited ilisimamisha huduma zake tarehe 30 Januari 2009, kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu;

Wakati inasimamisha huduma zake, GTV (Tanzania) Limited ilikuwa na
wafanyakazi 35, maajenti 40 na wateja 20,000;

Menejimenti ya GTV (Tanzania) Linited imeiarifu Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano
kuwa Mfilisi anatarajiwa kuteuliwa na Mahakama hivi karibuni ambaye atashughulikia masuala yote ya wadeni wa GTV (Tanzania) Limited;

Utoaji leseni kwa GTV (Tanzania) Limited ulizingatia sharti la kampuni hiyo kuweka dhamana kuhakikisha ufanisi wa huduma zake kwa jamii.

Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania inapenda kuwathibitishia wateja wote wa GTV (Tanzania) Limited kuwa haki zao zitalindwa kwa mujibu wa Kanuni na sheria ya Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania.

Imetolewa na:

Mkurugenzi Mkuu

Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania (TCRA)

Usajili wa “SIM-CARD”
Kutokana na kukua kwa tekinolojia ya mawasiliano, kumekuwepo na ongezeko kubwa la vifaa vinavyotumika kusambaza mawasiliano ya simu za mikononi. Baadhi ya simu hizo zina “SIM-CARD” zinazoweza kutolewa na baadhi haziwezi kutolewa kwa vile zimejengewa kwenye simu za mikononi.

Pamoja na ukweli kuwa watumiaji wengi ni waaminifu, wanaheshimu sheria na ni wastaarabu, kuna wachache ambao wanatumia huduma hii isivyo. Kutokana na kero ya watumiaji wachache wenye nia mbaya na wasiowastaarabu, Mamlaka imeagiza watoa huduma za mawasiliano kuanza utaratibu wa kusajili watumiaji wote wa simu za mikononi.

Utaratibu ufuatao utafuatwa katika utekelezaji wa zoezi hili.

Wateja wanaolipa baada ya huduma wataendelea kusajiliwa kwa utaratibu ambao tayari upo katika kila kampuni;

Wateja wanaopata huduma kama M-Pesa, E-Pesa, E-Fulusi mobipawa, m-Commerce n.k wataendelea kusajiliwa kwa utaratibu ambao tayari upo;

Wateja wengine wote ambao laini zao hazijasajiliwa wanapaswa kusajiliwa na makampuni ya simu husika wanakopata huduma kuanzia tarehe 1 Julai, 2009;

Kuanzia tarehe 1 Julai, 2009, wateja wote wapya wa huduma ya malipo kabla (prepaid) watapaswa kusajiliwa kabla ya kuuziwa laini ya kampuni yoyote ya simu za mkononi;

Kuanzia tarehe 1 Machi, 2009, makampuni yote ya simu yanapaswa kutekeleza utaratibu wa kuruhusu namba zote zilizoko kwenye mitandao yao kutambulika kwa mpokeaji wa simu. Jambo hili si la hiari bali ni agizo.

Sheria husika ya usajili wa laini za simu za mikononi iko katika hatua ya mwisho kwakuwa jambo hili si la mjadala tena;

Imetolewa na:

Mkurugenzi Mkuu

Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania (TCRA)

Uhusiano Baina ya Mionzi Itokayo Kwenye Vyombo vya Mawasiliano ya Simu na Utangazaji na Afya ya Binadamu
Miaka ya hivi karibuni hapa nchini Tanzania na seheme nyingine duniani kiwango cha matumizi ya vyombo vya habari na mawasiliano, ikiwa ni pamoja na simu,minara ya mawasiliano, radar, redio, televisheni, kompyuta na kadhalika kimeongezeka sana. Matumizi yamefanya wananchi wengi kujiuliza uhusiano wa vyombo vya mawasiliano na afya zao.

Kwa kuzingatia maoni mbali mbali yaliotolewa na wadau wa mawasiliano na wananchi kwa ujumla Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania inapenda kutoa ufafanuzi ufuatao:

Mionzi inayotoka kwenye vyombo vya mawasiliano kama vilivyotajwa hapo juu yapo kwenye kiwango cha chini sana kuweza kumdhuru binadamu. Kiasi cha mionzi hiyo ni sawa na kile kilichothibitishwa na mashirika mbali mbali ya kimataifa kufuatia utafiti uliochukua takriban miaka 50. Mashirika yaliyohusika katika utafiti huo ni pamoja na:
- Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Mawasiliano ya Simu (International Telecommunications Union - ITU);
- Shirika la Afya Ulimwenguni (World Health organization - WHO);
- Tume ya Kimataifa ya Kinga Dhidi ya Mionzi (International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection - ICNIRP)
- Chama cha Mawasiliano ya Simu za Mikononi (GSM Association);
- Muungano wa Watengenezaji wa Simu za Mikononi (Mobile Manufacturers Forum - MMF).

Ziko taarifa nyingi sana zitokanazo na utafiti wa kisayansi juu ya athari za
masafa (the radiofrequency-RF) kwa afya ya binadamu. Kipimo cha jinsi mionzi inavyoingia kwenye mwili wa binadamu huitwa “Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)”. Taarifa hizo zinaonyesha kuwa nguvu ya mionzi ipo chini ya kiwango fulani (threshold) hayana athari kwa mwili wa binadamu. Nguvu za mionzi hupungua toka chanzo cha mionzi hiyo (inverse sqruare law). Kutokana na utafiti wa ICNIRP na ITU, SAR ni Watt 2 kwa uzito wa kilo moja (2 W/kg kwa kichwani na kiwiliwili) na Watt 4 kwa uzito wa kilo moja (4 W/kg kwa miguuni na mikononi) kwa umma na vipimo vikubwa zaidi ya haivyo kwa wafanya kazi wa mawasiliano wakiwa kwenye mitambo ya mawasiliano.

Mawimbi ya umeme na sumaku (electromagnetic waves) yako ya aina nyingi, kwa mfano: mawimbi ya radio, mawimbi ya microwave, infrared, mwanga wa kawaida, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma rays(mawimbi yatokanayo na nuklia), na kadhalika. Kama inavyoonyeshwa kwenye jedwali lililoambatanishwa na maelezo haya, nguvu ya mionzi ya redio iikiwa ni pamoja na simu ya mkononi ni kidogo ikilinganishwa na mwanga unaoonekana kwa macho. Vyanzo vya mionzi hii huweza kuwa ama vya asili au mitambo mbali mbali. Minara ya mawasiliano huwa na urefu wa mita 15 hadi 50 au kwenye majumba marefu, kwa hiyo nguvu inayomfikia binadamu ni ndogo.

Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania (TCRA) imekuwa ikifanya jitihada kushawishi watoa huduma za mawasiliano na utangazaji kushirikiana kutumia minara (infrastructure sharing). Hatua mojawapo iliyochukuliwa ni kutoa mfumo mpya wa leseni (Converged Licensing Framework) ambao una leseni nne: Leseni ya miundombinu (Netwwork Facility License), Leseni ya kutoa huduma (Network Service License), leseni ya matumizi (Application Service License) na leseni ya utangazaji (Content Service License). Vile vile Mamlaka imetoa kanunu za mawasiliano za 2005 ambazo zinawashawishi watoa huduma kujenga minara na kukodisha wa wengine badala ya kila mmoja kuwa na mnara wake mwenyewe.

Kuna tafiti nyingi zimefanyika ambazo zimeonyesha kwamba kiwango cha
mawimbi ya mawasiliano hakina madhara kwa afya ya binadamu. Mamlaka inashauri watumiaji wa huduma na wananchi wote kuendelea kuwa na imani na teknolojia mpya ikiwemo ya mawasiliano ya simu, utangazaji na utumiaji wa kompyuta ambazo hutumiwa ulimwenguni kote bila kuleta madhara yoyote. Maelezo haya yametokana na tafiti mbalimbali na maelezo mengine imebidi kutumia lugha ya kitaalamu. Iwapo yatahitajika maelezo zaidi au kama kuna malalamiko yoyote kuhusu mawasiliano, Mamlaka ipo tayari kutoa ufafanuzi na kuyafanyia kazi maswala yote.

Imetolewa na:

Mkurugenzi Mkuu

Mamlaka ya Mawasiliano Tanzania

Shutdown of GTV (Tanzania) Limited Satelite Content Services by Subscription
On Friday, 30th January 2009, GTV (Tanzania) Limited ceased to provide services to its subscribers in Tanzania. The main reason for GTV (Tanzania) Limited to shut down was that it could not obtain content from the UK-Based Gateway Broadcast Services Limited which has gone into liquidation. GTV (Tanzania) Limited was among the 22 companies in Africa who have been affected.

On Monday, 2nd February 2009, the Management of Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) summoned GTV (Tanzania) Limited to its offices to seek an explanation and discuss, among other things, consumer rights of the subscribers. There was further meeting between TCRA and GTV (Tanzania) Limited that was held on Tuesday, 10th February 2009.

We would like to issue the following information to the general public;

The shareholding structure of GTV (Tanzania) Limited is in accordance with the law and regulations: 51% Tanzanian and 49% Foreign (GTV Holdings Limited (Mauritius);

GTV (Tanzania) Limited was licensed on 12th September, 2007 by TCRA to provide Support Services for Satellite Content Services by Subscription in the Tanzania Mainland;

GTV (Tanzania) Limited shutdown their services on 30th January 2009 in the circumstances explained above;

At the time of closing its services, GTV (Tanzania) Limited had 35 employees, 40 dealers and about 20,000 subscribers in Tanzania.

The Management of GTV (Tanzania) Limited has informed TCRA that a liquidator is being appointed soon by a local court to deal with all relevant issues of creditors to GTV (Tanzania) Limited.

Granting of the Licence to GTV (Tanzania) Limited was subject to submission of a performance Bond to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority guaranteeing due performance of the licence conditions.

TCRA shall ensure that consumer rights are upheld.

Issued by:

Director General

Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)

Simcard Registration
As a result of the growth of communication technology, there has been an increased use of mobile devices, including mobile phones with either detachable or imbedded SIMcards. Whereas most users of mobile phones are trustworthy, there are a few who are using this technology negatively. In order to promote good use of telecommunication services, and in the interest of security, the Authority hereby urges all telecommunication service operators to introduce SIM-card registration of mobile phone subscribers. The following steps are being taken with respect to SIM-card registration:

Post-paid subscribers have always been registered and shall continue to be registered.

Pre-paid subscribers receiving application services such as mobile money transfer (for example M-Pesa, Z-Pesa, E-Fulusi Mobipawa, M-Commerce etc.) have always been registered and shall continue to be registered.

Pre-paid subscribers who have up to now not been registered shall be registered by their respective telecommunication service providers within a period of six months from 1st July 2009.

With effect from 1st July 2009, any new pre-paid subscribers shall be registered by their respective telecommunication service provider as soon as they start using a new SIM-card.

With effect from 1st March 2009, each telecommunication service provider shall implement the Caller’s Line Identification (CLI) so as to disable the use of “Private Numbers”.

Appropriate legislation is in the process through which registration of every person desiring to own and use a SIM-card shall be mandatory.

Electromagnetic Radiation from Telecommunications and Broadcasting Equipment and Health
The increased use of communication equipment such as mobile phones, base stations, antennas, radar equipment, radios, televisions, computers etc in Tanzania and elsewhere around the world has raised public interest in health issues associated with exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

We wish to clarify as follows:
1. Telecommunications and broadcasting equipment as mentioned above emit electromagnetic waves which are within exposure limits consistent with the recommendations (reached after extensive research of over 50 years) of many international organizations, including the following bodies:
  - International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
  - World Health organization (WHO)
  - International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
  - GSM Association
  - Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF)
2. The radiofrequency (RF) database on biological and heath effects is extensive, thorough and global with thousands of scientific publications. The rate at which radiation is absorbed by the human body is measured by the “Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)” in W/kg. The conclusions from these publications show that there is strong evidence that RF exposure below a certain threshold does not cause harmful effects to biological systems. The intensity of the electromagnetic waves falls with an inverse square law from the source. According to ICNIRP and ITU, the threshold localized SAR is 2 W/kg (Head and trunk) and 4 W/kg (Limbs) for the general public and much higher values for occupational exposure.
3. The electromagnetic waves form a wide spectrum of which the RF is only a portion. It includes Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, Ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma-rays. The sources of these waves can be natural or artificial. The RF is non-ionizing as illustrated in the attached figure. Generally base station antennas are mounted on a tower normally 15 to 50 m high or on roof tops and hence the radiation reaching a consumer is within the threshold limit.
4. TCRA is promoting infrastructure sharing among service providers and has therefore introduced the Converged Licensing Framework comprising four licenses; Network Facility License, Network Services License, Application Services License and Content Services License. Further, the Authority has enacted the Tanzania Communications (Access and Facility) Regulations (2005) which encourage operators to share facilities including towers.
5. The weight of substantial international scientific research is that there is no substantial evidence that the use of communications equipment causes harmful health effects. Consumers should continue to have confidence in the many benefits of modern technology including mobile telephony, TV and computers which are used by people globally. This information has been prepared on the basis of substantiated research and invariably some of the terms used are necessarily scientific. If anything is not clear and wherever there is a complaint, the Authority will be glad to explain or make the necessary follow up.
Issued by:

Director General

Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)
World Postal Day 2008 : Postal Sector Resolutely Looking Towards the Future
Tanzania is joining the postal world in celebrating the anniversary of the Universal Postal Union which is celebrated each year on 9 October.

World Postal Day 2008
- Message from the TCRA Director General
- Message From the UPU Director General
More information can be found on the UPU website
Judge Buxton Chipeta Appointed Chairman of The TCRA Board
The President of the United Republic of Tanzania has appointed Judge Buxton Chipeta to be the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) with effect from 15th June 2008. Judge Chipeta takes over from Amb. Richard Mariki who completed his term of office on 28 April 2008.

Judge Chipeta who is a retired Judge of the High Court is currently advocate of the High Court of Tanzania. In the communications sector, Judge Chipeta played a pivotal role in determination of the current interconnection regime for the telecommunication networks as he served as Chairman of the Inquiry Team both in 2004 and 2007.
Public Notice; Reassignment of Frequencies in 137 – 174 MHz
The Very High Frequency (VHF) Band, 30 – 300 MHz, is one of the heavily used bands by radio operators, radio dealers and radio installers. We noticed severe congestion in the range 137 – 174 MHz resulting into a number of interference cases, making operation in this band extremely difficult.

In the bid to address the above mentioned problem, the Authority announces the following steps with respective to the frequency range 137 – 174 MHz;
- Change of VHF frequency channelisation from 25 KHz to 12.5 KHz. This will increase number of channels to meet the growing number of VHF users.
- Re-assigning of new frequencies to all operators basing on a reviewed VHF band plan.
- Issuance of new licensing to all radio operators in the above range of the VHF band.
All VHF radio operators, radio dealers, radio installers and the General public are requested to cooperate to effect these changes. The exercise is anticipated to take five weeks (5) starting from 3rd September, 2007 to 7th October, 2007.

Beginning 8th October, 2007 any company, Institution or individual found operating radio equipment without a valid license will be prosecuted and his equipment confiscated.

The public in general is reminded that it is illegal to be in possession of radio equipment or operate radio communication without a valid license.For more details find the Public Notice here.
Draft Code of Practice for Community Broadcasting Services
The past recent years the Authority has witnessed increased number of applications for community broadcasting service that need a Code of Practice for the subsector to be well organized and deliver the expected results to the community.

This public consultation document is intended to give stakeholders opportunity to go through the document and give out their comments.

The code of practice is expected to be operational 01st July 2007, Read more...
Public Notice; Licensing of Telecommunications Operators
An increase in the number of prospective operators has tremendously increased the amount of spectrum usage. Considering that spectrum is a scarce resource,TCRA is conducting a spectrum audit vis-a-vis allocation of bandwidth with the objective of determining the optimum amount of spectrum required by each service.

In order to conduct the said audit, TCRA wishes to inform prospective applicants and the public in general that new applications requiring the following frequency resources: 450 – 470 MHz, 824 – 890 MHz, 890 –960 MHz, 1710 – 1880 MHz, 1920 – 1980 MHz, 2110 – 2170 MHz, 2560 – 2790 MHz and 3400 – 3700 MHz shall not be considered with effect from 10th May 2007 until further notice.
Telephone Tariffs Trend Analysis (2000- 2006)
TCRA has completed a study on Telephone Tariffs Trend in the country from year 2000 to 2006. The summary of the result is availabe here (in pdf format) for download.
Public Inquiry on the review of Tariff for Regulated Tanzania Postal Corporation (TPC) services and products
TCRA has received application from the Tanzania Postal Corporation (TPC) requesting for approval to review tariffs for the regulated postal services and products. The Authority hereby invites all stakeholders in the communications sector to give their written comments to assist the Authority in considering the tariff review. For Details Click here
National Switchover Plan from Analogy to Digital
TCRA has issued a Consultative document on a National Switchover Plan from Analogue to Digital Broadcasting Technologies. The Broadcasting stakeholders are requested to review the draft document and forward their comments to TCRA by 30th November, 2005. For details, please download the consultative document.
Converged Licensing Framework (CLF)
Since the introduction of the Converged Licensing Framework (CLF) in 2005, the Authority has issued various licenses to Companies in the categories of Network facilities, Network services and Applications services. Details of the licensed companies can be found here.

The convergence of info-communication technologies has necessitated a change in the licensing framework. TCRA has developed a new licensing framework to accommodate technological market and regulatory trend referred to as convergence. The Authority have also published Regulations, Licenses and applicable fees under the Converged Licensing Framework. For more details on the New Licensing Framework, click here.