Ugandans will access Starlink-powered satellite internet only through licensed local telecommunications operators and not through a direct consumer launch, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has ruled. In a detailed clarification issued by the UCC Executive Director, Hon. Nyombi Thembo, the regulator said recent public comments attributed to him had been misunderstood, creating the impression that Starlink, in partnership with Airtel Uganda, was about to roll out direct-to-consumer services in the country. While acknowledging the excitement surrounding low-earth-orbit satellite technology, the Commission stressed that such an interpretation is inaccurate. The clarification follows the announcement of a group-level strategic agreement between Airtel…
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Ugandans will determine whether French media giant Groupe Canal+ effectively completes the takeover of South Africa’s MultiChoice and GOTV in Uganda. The move is part of a larger acquisition in more than 50 countries. In a notice on Tuesday, broadcast regulator, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), noted that Groupe Canal+ had applied for the transfer of shares for the control of MultiChoice subsidiaries in Uganda. This followed the completion of a $3 billion deal in July to acquire 100% of MultiChoice Group, the parent company of DStv and GOtv in Uganda. The move marks the latest step in a transaction that…
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In the heart of Kampala’s busy central business district, the rhythm of modern life pulses through the fingertips of Gen Z digital influencers and their smartphones. At concerts, fashion shows, or corporate events, they glide through a stream of apps on sleek, glass-encased smartphones—devices that have become more command centers than mere phones. With a tap, the internet brings real-time social updates to life, AI tools polish photos before they’re posted, and mobile wallets handle everything from splitting bills to paying Uber fares. Now rewind to 1993, just three decades earlier. In the same city, another young Ugandan was perhaps…
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Until 2007, mobile phone subscribers had largely known voice and short message texting needs. In fact, for a long time, the mobile phone had no major use apart from making and receiving calls, and occasionally sending short text messages. However, in 2007, after 11 years of launching in 1998, MTN broke new ground with the launch of WiMAX broadband services, a cutting-edge product that would propel mobile phone users into the future. By 2007, it had been 12 years since the launch of the first mobile phone in Uganda by Celtel, and later by MTN, which launched in 1998….
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President Museveni has endorsed the entry of Starlink satellite internet in Uganda after meeting with Elon Musk’s Starlink representatives including, Ben MacWilliams, the Global Licensing & Activation Manager and Brandi Oliver. The deal was discussed yesterday at State House, Nakesero in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. “I appreciate their commitment to providing low-cost internet in hard-to-reach areas and establishing a presence in Uganda. They are welcome,” Museveni said. The meeting was brokered by Ambassador Adonia Ayebare and United States Ambassador to Uganda, William Popp. However, the deal awaits regulatory approval from Uganda Communications Communication (UCC). Two weeks ago, Mr Nyombi Thembo, the…
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Starlink, a satellite internet service under American billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, has submitted an application to obtain a license from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The license will allow Starlink to begin offering internet services in Uganda. “Starlink has submitted their application and we will be giving our position on that,” Mr Nyombi Thembo, the UCC Executive Director, told the CEO East Africa Magazine in an exclusive interview yesterday at the sidelines of an Airtel event to launch an AI-powered spam alert service in Kampala. Starlink uses advanced satellites and user hardware in a low earth orbit to deliver high-speed…
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Airtel Uganda today unveiled its ground breaking AI-powered Spam Alert Service, becoming the first telecommunications provider in East Africa to offer network-level protection against fraudulent messages. This launch also makes…
Pay television service providers lost at least 31.9% subscribers in the 12 months to December 2024, according to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Market Performance Report. The loss is contained in four UCC Market Performance Reports, all of which registered a decline in subscriber numbers with the worst drop recorded in the three months to September 2022. The data was collected in over four quarters between January and December 2024. The 31.9% drop, according to UCC data, translates to an aggregate loss of 470,000 subscribers, which signals an increasing difficult operating environment for pay television service providers and the…
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Airtel’s Managing Director, Mr Soumendra Sahu has confirmed a plan to double Airtel’s investment in data, which will be a key priority this year and beyond, as the telco maintains…
Former Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Acting Executive Director, Eng. Irene Kaggwa’s exit from government is relatable to Jesus’ biblical expression of “a stone which builders rejected [eventually] became the cornerstone.” But after the snub for the top ICT regulatory job in Uganda, Kaggwa is now trading her enviable skills and experience in the telecom industry with the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, Switzerland. Kaggwa is the Programme Manager at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for Giga, a joint ITU-UNICEF initiative that seeks to connect all schools to the Internet by 2030. Kaggwa told the CEO Magazine that her role involves…
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