Communication towers project reaches over 80pc
DODOMA: TANZANIA’S Digital Tanzania Project (DTP), which aims to build 758 communication towers nationwide to boost connectivity, has achieved 84.43 per cent completion.
At the Nane Nane Agricultural Exhibition in Dodoma, officials noted that since the project’s launch by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in May 2023, 640 towers equivalent to 84.35 per cent have already been activated.
The operational towers include those run by major service providers: Airtel (148 towers), Vodacom (178), Yas (216), Halotel (33) and TTCL (68).
“These are significant achievements by the sixthphase government, aimed at ensuring wider access to communication services, particularly in rural areas. As a result, 98 per cent of Tanzanians are now covered by communication networks, up from just 45 per cent in 2006 before the Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) began its legal mandate,” said an official.
Under the UCSAF programme, the government has signed contracts with telecom service providers to facilitate communication services in 1,974 wards comprising 5,102 villages through the construction of 2,152 towers. Upon completion, over 29.1 million citizens will benefit from reliable mobile network services.
As of January 2025, a total of 1,783 towers had already been constructed in 1,627 wards covering 4,482 villages, thereby extending communication access to an estimated 24.6 million residents.
Implementation is ongoing in an additional 34 wards, targeting 620 villages and nearly 4.8 million people, through the installation of 369 more towers.
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The cost of executing various phases of the Rural Communication Development Programme stands at approximately 326bn/-. Further, under the Digital Tanzania Project (DTP), the government signed agreements with mobile network operators on May 13, 2023, to upgrade 304 existing towers.
The objective was to enhance connectivity by upgrading 2G sites to 3G/4G capacity. By January this year, all 304 targeted towers representing 100 per cent of the upgrade plan had been successfully modernised, significantly boosting internet coverage.
“The aim of this upgrade is to increase the reach of high-speed internet services from 45 per cent in 2020 to 80 per cent by 2025,” the official explained, noting that UCSAF has spent 5.15bn/- on the tower upgrade component alone.
The DTP is a major catalyst for the country’s growing digital economy.
By expanding network infrastructure through the construction of 758 communication towers, the project enhances internet access and digital connectivity in underserved and rural areas.
This connectivity enables more citizens to participate in online services such as mobile banking, e-commerce, digital education and e-health, helping bridge the digital divide and promote inclusive economic development.
For the broader digital economy, DTP provides a solid foundation for innovation, entrepreneurship and investment. Improved connectivity supports tech startups, digital platforms and small businesses by offering reliable internet access and expanding their reach to national and global markets.
As Tanzania transitions toward a knowledge-based economy, the project is crucial for driving productivity, creating digital jobs and strengthening public service delivery through digital transformation.
