THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has vowed to take strict measures against courier companies that violate quality of service regulations and other licensing conditions.

Dr. Jabiri Bakari, TCRA director general sounded the warning in Dar es Salaam over the weekend when speaking to journalists.

The TCRA’s warning follows a recent inspection report revealing that only 8 out of the 17 courier companies inspected, which are licensed to provide domestic parcel and document pick-up and delivery services, met the standards outlined in the Electronic and Postal Communications Quality of Service Regulations.

The regulations outline delivery speed from receipt of an item to its arrival at the destination or delivery to a customer. Service providers in Zone A must deliver at least 85 percent of parcels and documents within one day, while Zone B couriers are required to deliver at least 88 percent of items within three days.

Zone A covers inter-town services in Arusha, Moshi, Tanga, Morogoro, Kibaha, Dodoma, Mbeya, Mwanza, Iringa, and Zanzibar.

Zone B includes Tabora, Shinyanga, Kahama, Bariadi, Geita, Singida, Bukoba, Musoma, Kigoma, Mtwara, Lindi, Songea, Sumbawanga, Songwe, Mpanda, Babati, Njombe, Mkoani, and Chakechake Pemba.

The inspection report indicated that couriers in Zone B performed better, with only 4 out of 13 not complying with the regulations. In contrast, the July-September inspection report revealed that 12 out of 19 Zone A licensees failed to meet the required standards. Dr. Bakari confirmed that the TCRA had engaged the non-compliant licensees regarding the results.

By December 2024, TCRA had licensed 153 courier operators, with 47 offering domestic services. As of September 2024, there were 148 licensees. In addition to the 47 domestic couriers, other licensees include 6 international couriers, 2 serving East Africa, 16 intercity providers, and 79 intercity providers.