BabuK
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- Jul 30, 2008
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Prof John Nkoma, TCRA Managing Director
Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) intends to scrap the time limit condition enforced by telecommunication firms on subscription bundles for internet, texts and calls.
Prof John Nkoma, the Authority's Managing Director revealed this yesterday when speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the second Connect to Connect East, Central and Southern Africa Summit held in Dar es Salaam.
The forum brought together industrial experts to deliberate hot topics affiliated with ICT. It was organised by the Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL), Huawei and the Ministry of science, communication and technology.
He said currently phone users subscribing for ‘turn key' products get time limit to use their bundles and the time expires and with it the client loses any remaining data, text or airtime.
Tanzania's turn key products include voice calls (broadband phone services), messaging and internet data.
Mkoma advised mobile phone subscribers to take trouble to analyse the bundle offers for hidden charges and conditions before they subscribe for one.
Similarly, in effort to protect the consumer, TCRA proposed reduction of interconnection tariffs by 60 per cent in March last year to lower voice call rates from one telecom operator to another.
At the meeting, delivering a key note speech on behalf of Communication, Science and Technology Minister Prof Makame Mbarawa, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary Prof Patrick Makungu said connection of the country to the outside world through the National ICT Broad Band (NICTBB) and has to the region.
He highlighted that internet charges are decreasing, e-services are multiplying and so the region is enjoying a robust and resilient network benefits.
"This expanded connectivity is now calling for the need to expand relevant infrastructures to be able to accommodate the increasing requirements for both operators and their clients," he said.
According to him, the government will continue to invest in corresponding infrastructures that include construction of state of the art data centres in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Zanzibar soon.
In addition, he called on the teams of experts attending the summit to put together all possible efforts to increase access to ICTs and broadband connectivity across the country, including the most underserved rural areas.
Huawei Network Solutions Director Luo Tiaggan expressed his company's commitment to continue working with the Tanzania Universal Communication service Fund to connect various rural communities.
"Together with the government, operators and the stakeholders we can achieve our target to empower the rural communities," he said.
TTCL CEO Dr Kamugisha Kazaura said southern and eastern African member states are working on plans to harmonise roaming charges to enable nationals use same interconnection rates in hosting countries.
"All the plans are underway pending the ministerial summit to be held later this year to set regulation frameworks for the implementation of the plan," he said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN