(Ecofin Agency) - In Tanzania, Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, and TTCL have been ordered to supply sim and recharge cards to rural areas within thirty days or incur financial and administrative sanctions.  

This was ordered by Atashasta Nditiye, the country’s deputy minister of transports and communications, who explained that he has received numerous complaints from communities that are unable to access telecom services because of the lack of basic products (sim and recharge cards) despite being covered by the four operators.

Atashasta Nditiye was rather tough with Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited, (TTCL) because “ the public company owned by Tanzanians has an obligation of reaching all people in the country regardless of their social and economic status”.

He explained that without those sim cards, the population cannot access telecom services and opportunities offered by internet. They also cannot access mobile money services that the government has been advocating for to integrate low-earners to a national financial system. Those shortcomings not only affect socio-economic development but, they also hinder digital transformation the government wants to implement by 2025.