Communications in Tanzania
Encyclopedia
Communications in Tanzania have in the past often been very unreliable. The mobile telephone
services are usually available only in urban areas, although there are currently efforts to provide nationwide mobile phone coverage. Competition in Tanzania
's telecommunication sector is expected to get stiffer after the country's regulatory authority licensed four more cellular phone service providers to bring the number to ten.
fiber project will bring in Internet connectivity to Tanzania at lower latency and lower cost.
Some of the Internet Service Providers are;
The complete list of the ISPs can be accessed from Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority(TCRA) website http://www.tcra.go.tz/Market%20info/isp.htm
The complete list of Data operators can be accessed from Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority(TCRA) website http://www.tcra.go.tz/Market%20info/data.htm
In 2005, mainland Tanzania (i.e. not Zanzibar) modified its licensing system for electronic communications, modelling it on the approach successfully pioneered in Malaysia in the late 1990s where traditional 'vertical' licences (right to operate a telecoms OR broadcasting network, and right to provide services on that network) are replaced by 'horizontal' licences (right to operate a telecoms AND broadcasting network, but a separate licence required to provide services on that network). This reform was the first of its kind on the African continent actually put into practice, and allows investors to concentrate on their area of expertise (i.e. network operation or service provision) across a maximum number of previously separate sectors (i.e. telecommunications, broadcasting, Internet). This reform should, amongst other things, facilitate the arrival of telephony services over cable television networks, television services over telecommunications networks, and Internet services over all types of networks. In short, Tanzania is the first African country to adapt its regulatory environment to the phenomenon of convergence.
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
services are usually available only in urban areas, although there are currently efforts to provide nationwide mobile phone coverage. Competition in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
's telecommunication sector is expected to get stiffer after the country's regulatory authority licensed four more cellular phone service providers to bring the number to ten.
Mobile Phone Companies
- Zain Tanzania
- MIC Tanzania Limited (tiGO)MIC Tanzania Limited (tiGO)MIC Tanzania Limited is the oldest wireless Telecommunications company in Tanzania with 13.6% market share in the country. MIC Tanzania Limited was formerly known as Mobitel when it started to offer mobile telecommunication services in Tanzania, it was then known as Buzz when the...
- Tanzania Telecommunications Company LimitedTanzania Telecommunications Company LimitedTanzania Telecommunications Company Limited is the oldest and largest fixed line telecommunications company in Tanzania. The company comes forth from the former Tanzania Posts and Telecommunications Corporation in 1993...
- Vodacom TanzaniaVodacom TanzaniaVodacom Tanzania Limited is Tanzania's leading cellular network company. As of May 18, 2010, Vodacom Tanzania had over eight million customers and became the largest wireless telecommunications network in Tanzania...
- Benson Informatics Limited
- Zantel
Internet Services Providers(ISPs)
Internet services have been available since 1996 however there is no current fiber connectivity available to the Internet backbone, thus the connectivity is over Satellite network to the rest of the world, even to the neighbouring countries. It is expected that EASSYEASSY
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System is an undersea fibre optic cable system connecting countries of eastern Africa to the rest of the world....
fiber project will bring in Internet connectivity to Tanzania at lower latency and lower cost.
Some of the Internet Service Providers are;
- Africa Online Tanzania
- Afsat Communications Tanzania Limited http://www.afsat.com
- Arusha Node Marie http://www.habari.co.tz
- Benson Online http://www.bol.co.tz/
- Cats-Net http://www.cats-net.com
- Kicheko http://www.kicheko.com
- Raha http://www.raha.com
- Spicenet http://www.spicenet.co.tz
- Tansat http://www.tansat.com
- TTCLhttp://www.ttcl.co.tz
- University Computing Centre http://www.ucc.co.tz
- ZanLink http://www.zanlink.com
- Juasun.net - rural based ISP http://www.juasun.net
The complete list of the ISPs can be accessed from Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority(TCRA) website http://www.tcra.go.tz/Market%20info/isp.htm
Data Operators
- Afsat Communications Tanzania Limited http://www.afsat.com
- SatCom Networks Africa LimitedSatCom Networks Africa LimitedSatCom Networks Africa Limited owns the only private satellite hub in Tanzania, covering Sub-Saharan Africa with satellite network for data, voice and video services....
- DATEL http://www.datelnet.com
- Six Telecoms Company Limited http://www.6telecoms.co.tz
- Tansat http://www.tansat.com
- TTCL http://www.ttcl.co.tz
- SimbaNet http://www.simbanet.net
- Spicenet http://www.spicenet.co.tz
The complete list of Data operators can be accessed from Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority(TCRA) website http://www.tcra.go.tz/Market%20info/data.htm
In 2005, mainland Tanzania (i.e. not Zanzibar) modified its licensing system for electronic communications, modelling it on the approach successfully pioneered in Malaysia in the late 1990s where traditional 'vertical' licences (right to operate a telecoms OR broadcasting network, and right to provide services on that network) are replaced by 'horizontal' licences (right to operate a telecoms AND broadcasting network, but a separate licence required to provide services on that network). This reform was the first of its kind on the African continent actually put into practice, and allows investors to concentrate on their area of expertise (i.e. network operation or service provision) across a maximum number of previously separate sectors (i.e. telecommunications, broadcasting, Internet). This reform should, amongst other things, facilitate the arrival of telephony services over cable television networks, television services over telecommunications networks, and Internet services over all types of networks. In short, Tanzania is the first African country to adapt its regulatory environment to the phenomenon of convergence.
See also
- Tanzania Internet eXchangeTanzania Internet eXchangeThe Tanzania Internet eXchange is an Internet exchange point in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It is a project of the Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association.Established in late 2003, it is housed at Posta Building, Ghana Avenue in Dar es Salaam....
- List of terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa