Summary

  • TCRA says a pilot to phase out physical airtime scratch cards starts on 1 January 2027 in all Dar es Salaam districts and named districts in Dodoma, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbeya; public awareness began on 1 October.
  • Subscribers in those areas with unused vouchers after the start date must contact their mobile network operator for assistance and activation. The notice gives no nationwide cut-off date.

The two dates in Tanzania’s airtime-card transition mark different steps. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) says public-awareness activity began on 1 October 2026; its pilot for phasing out physical scratch cards is scheduled to start on 1 January 2027. The notice, PN010/2026, was issued on 8 October.

Its geography is specific. The pilot covers every district in Dar es Salaam Region, plus Dodoma Urban, Chamwino, Kondoa Urban and Kongwa; Arusha Urban, Arusha, Meru and Karatu; Nyamagana, Ilemela and Misungwi in Mwanza; and Mbeya, Mbeya City and Mbarali. The notice addresses subscribers who live, work or travel in those areas. It does not say that all four named regions are covered in full.

The timing follows a broader policy statement. In Tanzania’s June 2026/27 Budget Speech, the Government described phasing out hand-scratched airtime vouchers through TCRA, beginning in urban areas and learning before expansion elsewhere. Another passage framed the measure around urban areas with enabling digital-payment infrastructure. The October notice supplies a list of places and a start date, but does not explain how the districts were selected or reconcile the list with that earlier framing.

TCRA lists mobile-money USSD services and apps, mobile-money agents, bank ATMs and banking agents, and other MNO or authorised-partner channels as digital recharge options. Subscribers in the pilot area who still hold unused cards after 1 January must contact their operator through designated customer-care channels or authorised service points for “assistance and activation”. The notice encourages using existing vouchers before then where possible. It does not promise an automatic refund or conversion, guarantee activation, or set a response deadline.

The national cut-off remains open: TCRA says it will be announced later. Subscribers outside the pilot are encouraged to adopt digital recharge progressively, but the notice does not give them a date. The record therefore defines a local pilot while leaving the national timetable and the service standard for leftover value to be clarified.

Sources