Tanzania joins SADC’s initiative to lower roaming costs

Tanzania joins SADC’s initiative to lower roaming costs

 TANZANIA is set to cooperate with other SADC member countries to enhance communication services, including lowering roaming fees for users in the bloc.

The Minister for the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport – Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Dr Khalid Mohamed, stressed that the State will evaluate CRASA’s proposal on reducing Communication costs in the SADC region during his opening remarks at the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) Economic Regulation Committee Meeting convening in the Isles.

“The goal is to ensure that people in the region afford or communication services whenever they cross borders into member states, he emphasised.” adding “About roaming issue as you mentioned (pointing to CRASA’s acting Secretary General), we and our colleagues will check through it to observe what can be implemented as far as communication roaming charges are concerned,” he emphasised.

CRASA is convening the second meeting of the Economic Regulation Committee (ERC) meeting which is hosted by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the latter being one among members of the organisation.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other facilitators are invited to the five-day seminar and conference, which will be preceded by a training seminar designed, among other things, to empower member organisations on Broadband indicators, ICT price baskets, and telecommunications bundling and tariff collection, analysis, and reporting.

Speaking of meeting agendas, TCRA Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari noted that CRASA members will have the chance to comprehend issues crucial to the growth of the communications sector, and that TCRA, as an active member of CRASA, will gain knowledge of the critical issues necessary for strict cost management of communications and services.

“This is a tremendously important conference, and we hope that everyone who attends, including TCRA, will leave with engaging yet manageable homework. It should be kept in mind that attendees will learn about communication cost planning and packaging at this conference, which will improve member organisations’ understanding and be very helpful to us,” he said.

Speaking about the steps taken to ensure CRASA member countries come to an agreement regarding the harmonisation of regulations that guide the costing of Communication services, Mr Shukya Kiroga, Acting Chief Executive Secretary of CRASA and Head of the Electronic Communications Division of CRASA, emphasised that the expert study of indicative costs has already been completed and that what is now needed is for the member countries to start implementing.

He also emphasised that for the implementation to proceed without a hitch once it starts, the member countries’ consent is necessitated.

“It is crucial that member countries reach agreement over the harmonisation of costing regulations, on the other hand, we have done our task,” he continued. “We are now waiting for CRASA member states to arrive with a common consent,” added Shukya.

With the common objective of ensuring that cross-cutting ICT and communication matters are adequately coordinated and controlled, the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) brings together thirteen Sub-Saharan communications regulatory organisations whereby Tanzania is represented by Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).