The TCRA Director General, Prof John Nkoma.The TCRA Director General, Prof John Nkoma
Written by ORTON KIISHWEKO
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THE second phase of digital broadcasting switchover that would see all regions shift from analogue is expected to take place next year, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Director General, Prof John Nkoma, has said.
Prof Nkoma said in Dar es Salaam that the countrywide digital switchover would be done after assessment of the first phase that has so far come to completion.
He said this when speaking at the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the authority. In the first phase, all major cities in the country were already connected to the digital broadcasting system.
He cited the move as one of the major achievements that the TCRA has ever made in the past 10 years, noting that the new system has brought about improvement of services in the broadcasting industry.
He said other successes in the communications sector included the introduction of licence for conventional communication services with other sectors, such as banks and mobile money transfers. On challenges, the authority said the problem of lack of postal physical addresses was still a challenge in the communications sector.
He said majority people still do not have physical addresses, a situation that makes it difficult to trace location of residences across the country. He said, "Out of the total national population of 45 million people, only 163,000 of them have postal physical address."
Speaking at the same event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports, Ms Sihaba Nkinga, said that one of the challenges that the government was facing in the communications industry was a huge impact on culture through globalization effects.
"We therefore have to continue supervising content of broadcasting in order to protect our culture," she said. She reminded that broadcasting has to adhere to laws and regulations of the country, as well as observe culture and traditions of the country.
By December 2012, more than 250,000 TV sets of the estimated 600,000 TV sets in Dar es Salaam were connected to digital broadcasting through satellite and cable systems, and the global deadline for going digital was set for 2015.
Recently, Minister for Communication, Science and technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa said Tanzania had recorded remarkable achievements in the process of switching from analogue to digital broadcasting compared to other East African countries.
He said that close cooperation between the government and broadcasters had enabled Tanzania to beat the 2012 regional deadline, well ahead of the 2015 global deadline. He said all major cities in the country were already connected to the digital broadcasting system.
Prof Mbarawa said firms contracted to provide digital broadcasting services such as Star Media Limited, Basic Transmission and Agape Associates Limited had done a good job of connecting all major cities in the country.
"In the next three to eight months, 11 more regions will have been connected with the digital broadcasting services which will help Tanzania meet the international deadline by 2015," he said.
Prof Mbarawa also commended local television stations for complying with directives on the switchover. He said they were determined to deal with all the challenges that will emanate from the digital migration process to make this a fruitful initiative.
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