Kampala, Uganda | URN | The disruption began around midday and became more widespread from about 1 p.m., with subscribers reporting that they could neither make nor receive calls, access mobile data, nor complete Mobile Money transactions. After several hours of disruption, MTN Uganda acknowledged the outage, attributing it to …
Read More »Only 9% of Africans now remain outside internet coverage – report
Africa’s digital divide shifts from network coverage to internet adoption as connectivity nears universality, according to a new GSMA report. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | A decade ago, Africa’s digital challenge was still largely about access. Today, only 9% of Africans remain outside mobile broadband coverage, according …
Read More »Airtel Uganda starts Direct-to-Cell Starlink trials
Airtel trials to boost connectivity in hard-to-reach areas Kampala ,Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | Airtel Uganda has commenced testing of the Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellite service in a move aimed at expanding connectivity and improving network access in hard-to-reach areas across the country. Following approval from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Airtel …
Read More »Uganda licenses Starlink as Africa satellite internet rollout expands
Starlink is already operational in several African countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Ghana Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has licensed Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in the country, joining a growing but uneven wave of African markets opening to satellite internet services …
Read More »Starlink enters Ugandan telcom market
President Museveni witnesses signing of the Starlink licence agreement, marking entry into Uganda’s telecom sector Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and operational licence agreement between the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and Starlink. The event, …
Read More »The day Kampala goes offline
What happens when mobile money fails, hospitals lose data, and the invisible infrastructure behind modern life suddenly stops working? NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | What if, tomorrow morning in Kampala, your mobile phone stopped working – not because the battery died, not because you forgot to buy data, …
Read More »Internet shutdowns are increasing dramatically in Africa
This form of social control is a growing trend in the continent according to a new open access source book. One of the authors explains why they are happening COMMENT | TONY ROBERTS | How do you define an internet shutdown, and why do they happen? Put simply, an internet shutdown is …
Read More »How the transformative power of internet access is bridging Uganda’s digital divide
COMMENT | TIMOTHY MUGENYI | I am reminded of an interaction I had in the rural setting of Nakivale refugee camp. We stopped by a Rolex stand and spoke with some young gentlemen who were deeply engrossed in a video whilst sharing a smartphone. When we asked if they …
Read More »The cost of Uganda’s internet shutdown
Freedom of speech, constitutional rights, electoral transparency and business loss Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | On the evening of Jan 13, two days to a highly anticipated presidential election, Uganda went off grid as the government through the Uganda Communications Commission shut down the internet leaving millions of people …
Read More »Why it is hard to avoid the internet in the world today
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | When the Government of Uganda shut down internet access for four days during the recent election week, it reignited a national debate about how deeply digital connectivity has become embedded in modern life. Authorities, through the Uganda Communications Commission, justified the decision as necessary to curb …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price