The Tanzania Daily News reports that the country’s communications regulatory body, TICRA (Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority), has confirmed it will not backtrack on the move from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The process of switching off analogue began in Dar es Salam and is being initiated in phases across the country.
In response to an appeal by The Media Owners Association of Tanzania (MOAT) to have the old system run concurrently with digital TV in preparation for the switch over, TICRA management said there is no intention to return to analogue.
Director General of Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Professor John Nkoma, is quoted as saying: “We will have a meeting in the near future where we will discuss this matter but what I can say for now is that we do not intend to go back to analogue,” writes The Tanzania Daily News.
Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Science, Communication and Technology, Mr January Makamba, is said to have reiterated the government’s position saying that a delay in the migration would “make the process chaotic” ahead of the 2015 global deadline.
At the same time concerns have been raised by authorities over the level of activity by licensed multiplex operators. According to the report, only two of the three operators issued with licenses have begun with operations.
Staff Writer
