Electronic and Postal Communication Act 2010 and Electronic Communication Numbering and Addressing Regulations 2011

The section 79c of The Electronic and Postal Communication Act no 3 of 2010 together with the Electronic Communication Numbering and Addressing Regulations of 2011 provides the legal information about the legal assignment, the registration and usage of dot-tz (.tz) domain names and the relevant compliances, offenses and penalties in Tanzania.

The act and relevant regulation requires all business in Tanzania to register and use domain names with tz ccTLD as described below.

Section 79c) of Electronic and Postal Communication Act no 3 of 2010

Number and electronic address assignment

1. The Authority shall regulate all electronic communication numbering and electronic addresses and ensure efficient use by –

(a) performing proper planning, allocations and monitoring;

(b) maintaining the national electronic communication numbering and electronic address register for all carriers and operators in respect of resources which have been assigned;

(c) performing an oversight role on the management of country’s code Top Level Domain ccTLD); and

(d) maintaining electronic address register of electronic numbers assigned to service providers and their subscribers list.

Electronic Communication Numbering and Addressing regulations 2011

Use, registration and management of dot-tz electronic addresses and names

1. Any public or business entity in Tanzania shall register and use domains with country’s ccTLD, the dot-tz.

(2) Dot-tz Electronic Communications shall be used for all official correspondences unless where proved technically not possible.

(3) The Tanzania Network Information Centre (tzNIC) shall serve both as the technical and administrative Manager of dot-tzccTLD.

(4) Any domain name with dot-tzccTLD shall be registered by tzNIC or Accredited Registrars;

(5) The Tanzania Network Information Centre (tzNIC) shall from time to time publish the list of accredited registrars on its website.

PART IV GENERAL PROVISIONS

Compliance, offences and Penalty

17.-(1) A person shall not use any electronic communication number without a certificate of assignment issued by the Authority.

(2) Any electronic communications licensee shall not cause use of any short code either on direct dialing, SMS or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) without an authorization by the Authority.

(3) A person shall not resell or trade any kind of Electronic communication Numbers or addresses.

(4) A person who contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of these regulation commits an offence and shall upon conviction shall be liable to a fine of not less than five million Tanzanian shillings or to imprisonment for a term of not less than twelve months or to both.