In preparation for its digital transformation, Uganda recently completed its regional telecom infrastructure program. It now wants to boost access to the services. 

In Uganda, MPs urged Wednesday (July 13), telecom operators active in the local market to offer cheaper voice and data packages to consumers. According to the MPs, doing so will boost ICT penetration. 

In the same vein, Thomas Tayebwa, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, asked the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to sign an agreement with telecom operators compelling them to offer only unlimited voice and data plans with no expiry date. "Technology has no expiry date. In many countries, one is only required to reactivate the bundle; it’s like money on your account where the bank tells you that your account has become dormant, it is then reactivated and you can access your money,”  he said.

The MPs' initiative aligns with the  Ugandan government's digital transformation ambitions, which aim to make ICT a major driver of the country's economic growth. A few days earlier, operator Airtel Uganda increased, by 150 percent, the volume of data it used to sell at the same prices. Its goal was to help users adjust to the difficult economic context. 

If implemented, the initiative will offer high-quality, reliable, and pressure-free communication services at affordable prices. It would also attract new subscribers and boost competition in the local market.  As of the first quarter of 2022, mobile penetration in Uganda was 69 percent, according to the regulator. 

Isaac K. Kassouwi