Complaints over decoder reception on the island of Zanzibar are raising questions over the quality of the service providers in the country.
The complaints have made it to the floor of the House of Representatives, with members delving into the matter.
Salim Abdallah Hamad (CUF-Mtambwe) asked in the House why decoders distributed by the government to the people display poor quality pictures and signals.
“Some people probably get problems with their decoders because they do not connect correctly, let anyone with problems report the matter to the necessary authorities,” Said Ali Mbarouk, minister for information, tourism, culture, and sports, explained to the house.
The government also came under criticism of how it gave the tender to Agape Associates in Dar es Salaam to distribute the decoders, Tanzania Daily News reported.
“Agape Associates won the tender because its offer of US$4 million was reasonable compared to other applicants like Star Times which demanded US$28 million,” the minister said in the House.
Tanzania is one of the few countries in Africa which have begun the switch from analogue television to digital reception.
Similar complaints over reception quality have been witnessed in Kenya, with some users accusing StarTimes of not providing coverage throughout the day. In some areas, users experience total blackout for many hours at a time.
