DAR ES SALAAM: MOST telecommunications service providers are fully complying with the qualityof-service regulations set by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).
The regulator conducted a survey of mobile network operators, as well as postal and courier companies, between October and December 2025 to assess their compliance with the applicable regulations.
According to TCRA’s December 2025 Sector Performance Report, mobile licensees recorded strong performance overall, although some broadcasting, postal and courier operators fell short of regulatory requirements.
The report, issued by TCRA Director-General Dr Jabiri Bakari, shows that all five mobile network operators met the required targets for network availability, call connection success rate and the provision of mobile voice and data services.
Other performance indicators assessed included Short Message Service (SMS) delivery time, call setup time and voice service quality.
All operators scored above 90 per cent in these categories. Network availability measures the extent to which a mobile network is accessible to consumers when they need services.
The call connection success rate reflects the percentage of calls successfully connected after dialling.
The call drop rate measures the proportion of calls that are unintentionally terminated due to technical reasons before the parties finish their conversation.
Service coverage assessments evaluate the strength and reach of an operator’s signal in enabling consumers to access mobile services.
Data speed is measured by how quickly data is transferred from a file transfer protocol (FTP) server to a mobile device.
The survey also assessed latency, the time it takes for user equipment to send a request to a server and receive a response.
SMS delivery time measures how long it takes for a text message to reach the recipient.
Call setup time refers to the number of seconds required to establish a call, with the compliance threshold set at under eight seconds.
Voice service quality is evaluated based on the clarity and overall audio perception during a call. However, compliance levels varied in the broadcasting sector.
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Twelve of the 16 television stations assessed did not adhere to their submitted programme line-ups, while four failed to submit programme schedules as required under the Radio and Television Content Regulations.
Similarly, four of the 12 radio stations inspected neither followed their submitted programme schedules nor filed them as required.
Nevertheless, most radio and television stations complied with requirements on diverse programming, educational content and the obligation to allocate at least 90 minutes daily to news broadcasts. In the postal and courier segment, 12 of the 20 domestic courier service providers assessed complied with sameday delivery requirements.
Only seven of the 17 couriers in another licensing category met the two-day delivery target.
Dr Bakari warned that TCRA has taken and will continue to take, regulatory action against licensees who fail to comply with the quality-of-service standards stipulated in the Electronic and Postal Communications (Quality of Service) Regulations.