SECTOR 2 Figures from the TCRA for December 2014 showed that mobile penetration was 67% of the population, taking into account the fact that many people have multiple mobile phone lines, with 31.8 million mobile telephone contacts officially registered. The number of fixed lines was only 10,000 and dropping. “Mobile money (transferring money using mobile telephones) is one of the reasons mobile phones are so popular in Tanzania – people are using their phones as banks. In rural areas, mobile phones are a necessity, not a luxury.” Internet In the past few years, access to the internet has increased in Tanzania. By the end of 2014, 11 million people had access, comprising 3.4 million via organisations and institutions and 7.7 million households. There were 239,000 internet cafes in Tanzania in December 2014. The internet is still largely inaccessible in rural areas, which are hampered by the lack of electricity and poor infrastructure. Although mobile telephones are very popular in Tanzania, these are used more to facilitate financial transactions than for access to news or information through the internet. Data is also prohibitively expensive for the majority of citizens, with the cheapest 1GB data-only bundle retailing for anything between US$ 2 and US$ 5. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.6 (2012 = 3.3; 2010 = 3.0; 2008 = 2.8; 2006 = 2.9) 2.2 Citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources is not restricted by state authorities. The state in general does not restrict citizens’ access to local or foreign media. Apart from a ban on the print version of The EastAfrican in January 2015, no other printed international publication has been banned by authorities. This publication is still available online, however, and those people who could previously afford to buy this print version can probably afford internet access. 30 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Tanzania 2015