LICENCED broadcasting service providers increased by five to 350 per cent in various categories between December 2023 and March 2024, a recent report has indicated.

Dr Jabir Bakari, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) director general, says in the January-March 2024 communications sector status report that intra-city courier licences, mainly for passenger buses, increased by 30 per cent.

Unveiling the report in Dar es Salaam yesterday, he said that subscription television content licences increased by 60 per cent from 10 to 16 agencies, with district licences in this category rising by 350 percent from two operators to nine licensed during the period.  

TCRA issued 17 community radio licences during the period, a jump from 11 licenses during October to December 2023, a 55 per cent increase. “This category authorizes content services for specific communities,” he stated.

Radio and television content regulations require community broadcasters to provide content based on community issues not usually covered by other content service providers covering the same area, he said.

“They are required to use only standard Kiswahili or English language and may use another language for specific periods with prior TCRA approval,” he said, noting that more institutions now use the country’s domain name online.

The domain name (dot tz) on websites and email addresses is widely applicable, with registered domain names increasing from 29,006 late December 2023 to 29,968 by end of last month.  

A domain name system translates the numerical addresses of computers connected to the internet into names that are easier to remember. Domains identify particular web pages and are also used in email addresses, the report indicated.  

It shows a rise in domain names for companies and businesses (dot.co), tertiary academic or technical institutions with relevant accreditation (dot.ac) and non-profit organizations (dot.or), he said.

“Country-level domain names are more advantageous than generic domains such as dot.com as they identify the owner with the countries where they operate and inspire loyalty and trust in a website,” he added.