The public telecommunications
operator was administered by the East African Telecommunications Corporation which covered
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika). However with the collapse of the East
African Community in 1977 the Tanzania Posts and Telecommunication Corporation was
formed. In January 1994, the postal and telecommunication services were separated, leading
to the formation of new state-owned company, Tanzania Telecommunications Company
Limited (TTCL). The latter is the sole provider of basic fixed services in the
mainland. Zanzibar Telecommunications Company Limited (Zantel) has been
licensed to provide telecom services in Zanzibar.
In 1994, Tanzania set up an
independent telecommunications regulatory authority, the Tanzania Communications
Commission (TCC), which licenses and oversees the operation of all forms of
communication services in the country.
Teledensity:
- Total: 0.46
(1999)
- Largest cities:
2.79 (1998)
- Rest of the country:
0.20 (1998)
Digital main lines: 82.3%
(1998)
Waiting list for a telephone
line:
- Total: 37,300
(1998)
- Average waiting time:
3.6 years (1998)
- Total demand (k):
159.1 (1998)
- Satisfied demand:
76.5% (1998)
Telephone Tariff (1998):
| PSTN connection
charge |
US$ 57 |
| PSTN monthly
subscription |
US$ 4.60 |
| PSTN three minute
local call |
US$ 0.09 |
| Long distance
call (320 km) |
US$0.24 |
Source: World Telecommunication Development Report, 1999
Public telephones: 710
(1998)
ACG Telesystems Ltd.
has installed 180 cardphones in and around Dar-es-Salaam with plans to add 600 in
the same area, and to extend its services to others town in Tanzania, mainly Mwanza,
Arusha, Moshi and Mbeya. The company also offers a paging service in and around
Dar-es-Salaam which is expected to grow into the rest of the country.
Public telephones per 1000
inhabitants: 0.02 (1998)
Mobile cellular subscribers:
37,900 (1998)
Mobile cellular providers:
MIC (Tanzania) Ltd.:
Popularly known as Mobitel, it has operated an ETACS cellular mobile network since 1994 in
Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha, Mwanza, and will open soon in Dodoma and Tanga. The
shareholders are Millicon International Cellular SA of Luxembourg (51%), TTC (25%),
Ultimate Communications Ltd. (14%) and IFC (10%), and the company currently has over
14,600 subscribers.
Tritel (Tanzania) Ltd.:
It operates a US$ 12.5 million Siemens-based GSM cellular mobile network in Dar-es-Salaam
and Zanzibar, with possible extension to Arusha and Mwanza. Currently, it has 5,000
subscribers, growing at 500 a month with a capacity of 20,000. The shareholders are TRI
(Malaysia 65%) and VIP Engineering Limited (35%). Tritel estimates its market share at
40%.
On July 1999, the Tanzanian
Government approved an application
by South Africa's Vodacom to operate a mobile phone network. Vodacom will hold a 55
percent stake while Planetel Communication Ltd, owned by Tanzanian shareholders, will hold
a 45 percent stake. The company is registered under Vodacom Tanzania
Cellular subscribers as a % of
total telephone subscribers: 31.10 (1998)
Mobile cellular tariff (1999):
| Connection
charge |
US$
60 |
| Monthly
subscription |
US$
30 |
| Local
call per minute - peak |
US$
0.34 |
| Local
call per minute - off-peak |
US$ 0.24 |
Source:
World Telecommunication Development Report, 1999
Telecommunications revenue (M
US$): 109.9 (1998)
Telecommunications investment (M
US$): 254.7 (1998)
Telecommunications investment as
a % of revenue: 231.8 (1998)
Telecom equipment exports (M
US$): na
Telecom equipment imports (M
US$): 20.7 (1997)
Telecentres:
Multipurpose Community
Telecentre Pilot Project: A joint
ITU/UNESCO/IDRC mission together with representatives of potential local partners visited
Tanzania in September 1998 to assist in finalizing a project document for
establishing a multipurpose telecentre in Sengerema.
Facsimiles: na
The Tanzania Commission for
Science and Technology (COSTECH) is responsible for maintaining a national
research centre and academic networking. With initial support from the UNECA's CABECA
Programme and later from RINAF, COSTECH has operated a dial-up e-mail service since 1993.
The service connects daily to the Internet via a call from GreenNet in London. With
support from the World bank, COSTECH was awarded the contract to develop the official
government web site. The council also has a large training room in which it conducts a
number of training courses.
Open University of Tanzania and
University of Dar-es-Salaam are the Tanzanian participants in the InfoDev/World Bank African Virtual University (AVU)
project. This a US$ 1.2 million project using satellite technology to deliver distance
education with telephone call-back from the pupils to 25 sites.
TANZANET is a mailing list whose primary
objective is to provide a forum for information exchange among Tanzanian nationals and
other interested persons through various modes of communication including the world-wide
Internet. Discussions in the forum is open and not restricted to any particular subject or
topic, but strong emphasis is placed on issues related to the enhancement of the quality
of life of Tanzanians.
There have been a number of initiatives
in the health sector such as:
- The HealthNet node at Muhimbili
University College of Health Sciences was the first e-mail provider in the country. The
installation of a new digital line has improved accessibility, and the service now
connects daily to the Internet via a call from SatelLife in Boston;
- The HeathNet Users Group Mwanza at
the National Institute of Medical Research in Mwanza operates a SatelLife LEO
groundstation e-mail line; and
- The African Medical and Research
Foundation office at Ifakara near Lake Victoria is in the process of establishing a
SatelLife groundstation.
There are currently 7 Internet Service Providers in
Da-es-Salaam, and some have points of presence in secondary towns. The average
communication costs are:
| E-mail
only |
US$
50.00/month |
| Unlimited
web/e-mail |
US$
75.00/month |
Computer
per 100 inhabitants: 0.18 (1999)
The University of Dar-es-Salaam
was born out of a decision made in 1970 by the East African Authority to split the then
University of East Africa into three independent universities for Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania. The University has a Department of Electrical Engineering with Undergraduate
Teaching leading to a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering. The department also offers
Postgraduate Studies leading to M.Sc.(Eng.) and Ph.D.(Eng.) degrees.
The Computing Centre
was established in 1980 as an autonomous institution answerable to the Senate. The primary
objectives of the Computing Centre include:
- Teaching computer and
computer-related courses.
- Conducting research in informatics.
- Providing computing services and
consultancy to both the University community on the main campus (administration, academic
faculties, and students) and outside the campus.
The University Computing Centre
provides numerous services for its customers such as E-mail and Internet, web page design
and hosting, software development, hardware maintenance, networking, consultancy and
training. The UCC is currently involved in the following major projects:
- Financial Information Systems (FIS)
- Infrastructure (INFRA)
- Academic Register Information System
(ARIS)
- Library Information System (LIBIS)
Soft Tech Training Centre was established in 1993 in
recognition of the local need for Information Technology Services and Training to meet the
challenges of 21st Century Tanzania. Soft Tech is committed to developing local expertise in the
dynamic profession of Information Technology. The company is a leading IT Training
Provider in Tanzania with International affiliations.
Radio: Radio news,
information and entertainment networks on AM,
FM and SW
Television broadcasting by ITV -
Independent Television and Radio One Ltd.: Radio One transmits to Moshi, Mwanza and
Dodoma Moshi on FM, and ITV covers Dar es Salaam, Moshi, Mwanza and Dodoma.
Radios per
100 inhabitants: 27.6 (1995)
Television
receivers per 100 inhabitants: 2.1 (1998)
Pay TV
decoders: 500
Cable TV
subscribers: na
Home
satellite dishes/antennas: na
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