[?] Subscribe To This Site

Internet in Uganda

The Coming of the Internet in Uganda Reduced Communication Barriers to the International World

The Internet in Uganda has experienced a rapid growth over the last two years in terms of number of service providers and internet users.

As a developing country , Uganda is not taking chances as far as communication facilities are concerned.Uganda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to gain full Internet connectivity. Both fixed-line operators, Uganda Telecom and MTN Uganda offer a range of data services including ISDN, ADSL and local and international leased lines. Several Internet Service Providers are offering wireless broadband access.

A new competition framework will liberalise VoIP Internet telephony completely, creating additional opportunities for them. The introduction of UTL’s Freenet service and a special Internet tariff countrywide have helped to increase Internet usage, as has the recent strong growth of the fixed-line networks and an explosion of the number of cybercafés both in Kampala City and other towns countrywide.

Once referred to as the "Pearl of Africa", then devastated by civil war, peace and radical economic reforms have transformed Uganda into one of the fastest-growing economies on the continent. And it back called the pearl of Africa. The entry of a second national telecom operator and three mobile networks has revolutionised the telecoms sector.

All market segments are experiencing strong growth, while total teledensity is still low at less than 30.9%. Major initiatives have been launched to bring telecommunication services and the Internet to rural areas of the country, partly funded by the highly successful operators through a universal service fund.

The introduction of cellular telephony has revolutionised Uganda’s telecommunications industry since the first network went live in 1995, with two more following in 1998 and 2001. As early as 1999 Uganda became the first country on the continent where the number of mobile subscribers passed the number of fixed-line users, and the ratio is now more than 18:1.

The market is consistently growing at around 50% p.a., while market penetration is still low at less than 9%. The recent introduction of GPRS will enable the mobile operators to play a larger role in Internet in Uganda service provision, and a fourth licence for Third Generation (3G) mobile technology is being considered.

The Internet in Uganda has experienced a rapid growth over the last two years in terms of number of service providers. Today, Uganda has more than 20 licensed Internet access service providers, or more commonly known, Internet service providers (IPS). This increase in number of operators has created an environment with full competition in the provision of Internet services in Uganda.

However, the increase in number of operators has not resulted in any significant decline in charges to tariffs that reflect the cost of service. This and the still high costs of computers have acted as a major hindrance to the growth of Internet in the country.

Expansion of infrastructure is also still limited with most concentration placed in the capital, Kampala, where the operators are guaranteed a steady market due to tourists, entrepreneurs and other interested parties.