TCRA to suspend Multichoice Tanzania for contract violation

TCRA Director General James Kilaba 

What you need to know:

In a statement released today 7 August, 2018 by the Director General-TCRA stated that the authority has in several occasions required the licensee (Multichoice Tanzania Ltd) to abide to the license conditions by not including free to air Television channels as part of its services on subscription channels but continued carrying on the service.


Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) intends to suspend licenses issued to Multichoice Tanzania Limited following its failure to comply with the authority’s orders.

 

In a statement released today 7 August, 2018 by the Director General-TCRA stated that the authority has in several occasions required the licensee (Multichoice Tanzania Ltd) to abide to the license conditions by not including free to air Television channels as part of its services on subscription channels but continued carrying on the service.

“Investigation carried out by TCRA affirms that Multichoice Tanzania Limited has not complied with the license condition by including Free to Air Television channels as part of its services on subscription channels,” the statement said.

The statement further says that since Multichoice Tanzania Limited had breached the law by continuing to include Free to Air Television channels as part of its services on subscription channel, the authority had intended to suspend its services.

“In exercising its powers, the authority hereby notifies the general public that it intends to suspend all the licenses issued to Multichoice Tanzania Ltd for failure to comply with the authority’s orders and failure to adhere to the license conditions including failure to exclude free to Air Television channel from among its subscription channels,” it stated.

According to the statement, in delivering the licensed services Multichoice Tanzania Ltd was not authorized by its license to include free to air television channels as part of its services on subscription channels.

On 15 June, 2015 TCRA renewed the National Support Services for Subscription Content Services by Satellite Licence for provision of support services for subscription content by satellite in Tanzania issued to Multichoice Tanzania Limited.