Summary
· By
Business journalist
The government wants the owner of the broadband service provider SpaceX, Elon Musk, to meet all requirements before it is allowed to roll out in Tanzania, with the initial deployment date set to be within the first quarter of 2023
Dar es Salaam. The government wants Elon Musk’s broadband provider
Starlink to meet the remaining requirements before it is allowed to operate in
the country.
Operated by SpaceX the satellite
internet constellation has been providing internet connectivity using thousands
of satellites in space that communicate with designated ground transceivers.
It is on those grounds that those
who support it believe that its presence will strengthen the country’s position
in the digital economy and provide universal access to the internet and other
technologies.
The Tanzania Communication
Regulatory Authority (TCRA) director general, Dr Jabiri Bakari, told The
Citizen yesterday that like any other company, Starlink needed to follow the
proper procedures before being issued with an operating licence.
He said Starlink’s application
involves several issues that must be met before a licence is issued.
“You know, Starlink’s satellite
internet involves much more issues than the way it is portrayed on social media
platforms. It involves different particulars that need different requirements
from the regulator in line with the type of licence being applied for,” he said
without detailing what the requirements are.
He said being the regulator, TCRA
wants businesses to do business, and therefore, Starlink was only required to
do its homework and complete the requirements to proceed with its plans.
Minister for Information,
Communications and Information Technology Nape Nnauye wrote earlier on his
twitter page that the government had already replied to the Starlink Company
and what they needed to do is make all the necessary documents intact so that
other procedures could follow.
“We received the applications on
October 6 last year. A number of issues are pending following our last meeting
on January 27, 2023,” he tweeted.
Replying to Mr Musk’s tweet, he
said: “You will recall that you were supposed to submit the required documents
to process the application according to the laws and procedures of this land.
We are waiting and ready.”
In his tweet, Mr Musk said: “We
would love to (operate in Tanzania). We are just waiting for the government’s
approval.”
The business tycoon was responding
to Mr Mike Coudrey, big entrepreneur and investor in the US, who is among those
who are pushing for Starlink.
Mr Coudrey, who has a particular
interest in Africa, especially Tanzania, tweeted: “Make Starlink available in
Eastern Africa, specifically Tanzania so people can have a higher access to
information and build a better future.”
However, he said the lobbyists and
major internet and phone providers are doing all they can to hinder Starlink’s
approval because that would mean consumers would switch to the better service.
“Rather than improving their own
services, they will try to inhibit new availability in the market,” he
expressed his worries.
Efforts to get comments from mobile
operators went futile, as until The Citizen went to press, the questions sent
to them were not answered.
Another Twitter user, Mr Curtis
Martin, called on Mr Nnauye and his team to do a cost-benefit analysis to
understand how they could accommodate this opportunity. “You look at it, this
impacts the tax that these companies are paying with solutions in place. The
tax that services people every day,” Mr Martin responded to Mr Coudrey.
Mr Given Edward was also quick to
tweet: “The government is very keen on pushing for technology growth. I am sure
they are on top of it, working to bring this to the market.”
Communications expert and media
personality Maria Sarungi said in her Twitter account that they were suffering
from government censorship and ridiculous internet taxes—anything to keep
people in the dark.
“Tanzania needs unfettered internet
access so that we could have our Twitter spaces without hitches,” tweeted Ms
Sarungi.
On their official website, Starlink
announced their plan to introduce the services between January and March this
year, depending on regulatory approval.
The only African nations that have
so far let Starlink operate are Nigeria and Mozambique, thanks to the issuance
of regulatory permits by both nations.
Whether or not the Starlink will
have a significant impact will depend on how quickly and affordably the
business expects to deliver its service, according to economist Abel Kinyondo
from the University of Dar es Salaam.
With the service, both users will
share the same infrastructure in space with $99 installation kits, which are
available to deposit through its website.
The service will have a significant
impact, especially in remote areas where the infrastructure is too poor to
accommodate fibre cables.
Starlink’s services were set to be
available in Tanzania during the current first quarter of 2023, with analysts
cautiously predicting that the development would boost the digital economy.
The service provides internet
connectivity using thousands of satellites in space that communicate with
designated ground transceivers.
With the service, both users will
share the same infrastructure in space with $99 installation kits, which are
available to deposit through its website.
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