TELECOM SECTOR HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO FACILITATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF INVESTMENT AND TECHNOLOGY IN TANZANIA

It is fair to say that the evolution of technology has had a significant impact on our daily lives.

Perhaps one of the most striking areas of technological innovation is in mobile internet. In recent years, the rise of mobile internet and mobile assisted applications has become an indispensable force which has created many benefits.

For businesses, mobile internet has become a vital tool for being able to work collaboratively, even when teams and colleagues are in different cities or countries. It has also provided these businesses with a way to advertise their goods and services to markets that might have once been harder to reach.

In a similar way, mobile internet has enabled social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to become an essential means of staying in touch with our friends and family, simply through the click of a button.

Given this, it is not surprising that the country has a fast-growing mobile internet landscape with the overall penetration rate doubling between 2013 and 2019. It is likely to increase further in the years ahead.

The growth of the country’s mobile internet penetration has also prompted Tanzania’s telecoms companies to invest in services which best serve their customers.

To take one example – Tigo Tanzania has emerged as one of the country’s leading operators and has sought to push the boundaries when it comes developing innovative solutions for its customers.

Recent examples include its electronic bundle reloading service – Tigo Rusha. This particular service allows customers to electronically reload their packages without needing to purchase scratch cards.

In addition, Tigo has partnered with ZanFast Ferries to allow customers to book tickets for their journeys between the mainland and Zanzibar, using Tigo Pesa.

It is essential, however, that the telecoms sector is supported by a regulatory system which encourages company growth and offers sufficient support to ensure companies like Tigo can remain efficient with their resource allocation.

Moreover, going forward it is important that all stakeholders work closely with this sector to ensure that its needs are met, which in turn will facilitate the next generation of investment and technology.

Ensuring this will not only help customers, but all those who benefit from mobile internet more broadly.

Emilian Kitine, 

DIT.