Last May, Tanzania obtained a loan from the World Bank to develop its telecoms infrastructure. The government wants to invest in improving the broadband connection for more than 75% of the population.
The Tanzanian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies has entrusted the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation Limited (TTCL) with the extension of the national fiber optic infrastructure. The public operator will back this extension to the electricity grid of the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (TANESCO). A memorandum of understanding was signed to this effect on Tuesday, September 7, between the CEO of Tanesco, Tito Mwinuka, and the permanent secretary of the ministry, Zainabu Chaula, in Dar es Salaam.
At the signing, the Minister Faustine Ndugulile, said the top national debit is a must in the 4 th industrial revolution. The latter “is based on a combination of various digital and modern technologies such as blockchain, drones, internet, artificial intelligence and more … To be able to use all these technologies effectively, we need communication and communication. ‘a reliable power supply ,’ she explained.
This new investment in optical fiber is part of the Digital Tanzania Project (DTP), whose objective is, among other things, access for more than 75% of the Tanzanian population to a high-speed mobile network signal. The connection of 425 ministries, departments and public agencies and the increase in the number of monthly connections from 200,000 to at least 500,000 for the public service are also objectives. Last May, the government received a loan of USD 150 million from the World Bank to finance the entire project.
By the end of the year, the national fiber optic infrastructure should be extended by 4,450 km, more than double the 1,880 km planned for the financial year 2021/2022, said Zainabu Chaula. This extension will bring broadband connection to more than ten regions of the country. For Faustine Ndugulile, it is high time that ” every household connected to electricity has access to the Internet “.
Source: Agence Ecofin
