SHELVE DATA CENTRE PLANS, GO FOR TTCL SERVICES INSTEAD, PUBLIC FIRMS DIRECTED

Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Professor Makame Mbarawa.

Public institutions that plan to set up their own data centres should shelve such preparations, and instead use the one constructed by the government, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Professor Makame Mbarawa has directed.

Prof Mbarawa made a swift move yesterday that would enable the government- owned data centre, which is operated by the Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL), remain as sole data bank for government entities.

His statement came after he was informed over the challenges facing the operation of the centre, mainly lacking of the customers because some institutions thought of having their own data centres. After visiting the TTCL’s head office in Dar es Salaam, he wondered why public institutions opted to set up their own centres while issue of communications was not their ‘core’ business.

“I am going to officially communicate this to the government so that the institutions stop such plans,” he said. He further argued that there was no reason for the institutions unnecessarily to spend public funds on constructing the data centre while they could get such service from the government’s data centre, which is of high class, safe and efficient.Explaining on the grades of the data centre worldwide, he said there is Tier One, Two, Three and Four data centre. Tier Four is the highest grade.

The government purchased Tier Three data centre, which, according to Prof Mbarawa, is the largest in the country. “I am sure that when the institutions decide to set up their own data base they would end up having Tier One or Two type of data centre which are not safe like Tier Three,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prof Mbarawa has assured TTCL of getting 15 per cent of the income earned by the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) for use in its operations.

The minister was concerned that despite the fact that TTCL was supposed to get that share from the NICTBB, it did not receive the funds for over two years now. He also urged the management of the state-owned telecommunications company to work hard and come up with creative ideas, particularly in area of marketing the services of the company.

Daily News