TCRA Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari.
ACCESS to broadcasting services has been significantly enhanced in the past four years under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, with radio in a lead, reaching 79 per cent of the population.
The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) recently conducted a nationwide survey to identify regions lacking adequate telecommunications, broadcasting and internet services.
The findings have been shared with relevant service providers to help improve these underserved areas.
TCRA’s report on the state of communication services in Tanzania during the four years of the sixth phase government under Dr Samia, reveals that some areas still lack access to broadcasting signals.
According to a statement from TCRA Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari, FM radio broadcasting services currently reach 79 per cent of the population, while their signals cover 56 per cent of the country’s geographical area.
Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) signals reach 58 per cent of the population and 33 per cent of the land area.
In contrast, Satellite Television (DTH) provides 100 per cent coverage for both the population and geographical regions.
From 2023 to December 2024, TCRA granted 659 broadcasting licences, including 38 for paid television broadcasting services, 29 for pay television services and 58 for cable television services.
Radio licences have reached 233 at the national, regional and district levels, while community radios total 17.
The report shows that 199 licences for online television content and ten for online radio have been issued, alongside six licences for content production and distribution services and 66 licences for news content blogs.
With the expansion of broadcasting services, Tanzania is set to implement three new initiatives aimed at ensuring broadcasts reach more listeners and viewers, as well as improving the quality of content.
As part of its achievements over the last four years, Tanzania secured an orbit for its first communications satellite at the International Radiocommunication Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2023.
Dr Bakari said broadcasting infrastructure is being installed in regions that have limited access to radio and television signals, often due to a lack of investor interest. These efforts are being carried out by the UCSAF Fund.
He said TCRA, in collaboration with content stakeholders, aims to enhance access to content that addresses citizens’ cultural and social needs while promoting economic development.
The TCRA is responsible for managing broadcasting in Mainland Tanzania and has a dedicated committee that monitors content compliance with the ethics and regulations of radio, television and online content among the Authority’s licencees.
Furthermore, TCRA is working with the Journalists’ Accreditation Board, established on March 3 of this year, to foster ethics and professionalism in content creation and delivery.
The board is expected to significantly contribute to upholding ethics, principles and professionalism in the broadcasting sector.
