THE
Telecommunication Monitoring System (TMS) which is aimed at tracking the amount
of money generated by telecommunication companies will start operating this
December, the Minister for Communication, Science and
Technology, Prof. Makame Mbarawa, has said.
Speaking at
the opening of the International Capacity Africa conference in Dar es Salaam on
Thursday, Prof. Mbarawa said the government would soon announce the winner of
the floated tender to install the system. "The system
will facilitate the government's ability to monitor revenue earned by
telecommunication companies and overcome any cheating in the sector,"
said the minister.
He said that
despite the fact that the country enjoys significant number of mobile phone
users, the telecommunication sector contributes only 2.1 per cent to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is the market value of all officially
recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given
period.
The
minister said that ten information and communication technology (ICT) companies
applied for the tender to install the system which will be administered by
Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA). He added that the system
could also record time spent in communication.
Prof.
Mbarawa further said that the government was reviewing the National ICT Policy
in order to cope with the current science and technology advancement and that
the amendments in policy aim at encouraging use of the new technology. He also
noted that the Communication for All Fund has facilitated telecommunication
development to the areas with less business attraction but lack of electric
largely in rural areas poses huge challenge.
The minister
pointed out that the government was constructing a data centre which would
facilitate the use of ICT and that the installation of the national fibre optic
was about to be finished. "Phase three of the project is still in
progress. The phase will cover areas which were not covered in the previous
phases," the minister said.