TCRA supports the growth of the digital economy by assisting ICT startups

Startups in Tanzania's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry will now be able to utilize the rare Telecommunication resources such as special assigned numbers (USSD Codes), communication spectrum, and the. tz domain, resources that will allow innovators to realize a positive output from their innovation following an agreement reached by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) in collaboration with the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH).

The agreement will see COSTECH acquire resources from TCRA on behalf of startups, with the latter now able to use the resources without having to dig deep into their pockets.

TCRA Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari announced the good news when he arrived for the exhibitions' opening ceremonies at Mwalimu Nyerere's Saba Saba Industrial and Trade Fair grounds.

"TCRA is committed to ensuring that startups in telecommunications technologies who have good solution-based ideas for developing the Digital Economy are able to realize their ambitions," Jabiri said, adding that the agreement reached between the two institutions is intended to help young innovators who previously faced challenges in developing their innovations further due to high costs rendered on communications resources.

“We have numbering resources, spectrum resources and dot tz; which startups were obliged to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for licenses to have such resources; those are gone days, for now if you are a startup then you will access these resources at no cost and that is the essence behind our partnership with COSTECH who will acquire the resources from us and provide access to startups on the same" remarked Jabiri.

In a related development, the TCRA CEO disclosed that the regulatory body he manages is collaborating with the Tanzania ICT Commission to ensure that the latter offers young innovators in the ICT sector with the much-needed assistance. The Commission will set up a mechanism through which young people with ambitions in the ICT sector can fully realize their potential and take part in creating a digital economy. TCRA has given the ICTs Commission access to its premises in the heart of Dar es Salaam, which will help the commission carry out this strategy and assure its success.

Earlier, Dar es salaam Regional Commissioner Amos Makalla and Temeke District Commissioner Jokate Mwegello arrived at the Authority's booth and praised TCRA for job well done in regulating communications services in the country while urging users to take heed of their safety when in the cyber space.

“Let me just advise that, people should be on the lookout for online scammers. I personally fell for one where some con artists pretended to be the RC Amos Makalla, so I urge all communication users to take extra caution whenever they are online, insisted Mr Makalla while at the regulator’s booth.

TCRA is in charge of regulating electronic communications, postal services, and management of the national frequency spectrum in the United Republic of Tanzania. TCRA was founded in 2003 following the merger of two agencies, Tanzania Communications Commission and Tanzania Broadcasting Commission.