The number of Ugandans using the free government Wi-Fi network, MyUG has grown to more than 10,000, PC Tech Magazine has learnt.
The statistics were revealed by Dr. James Saaka, the Executive Director of the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U), the body that is charged with the management of the initiative.
Dr. Saaka made the revelation while engaging with ICT stakeholders on the ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU) chat platform.
The platform gathers top ICT players in the country, ranging from developers, designers, IT executives, Technology reporters, engineers, students among others.
Dr. Saaka said that; “We have 10,100 users registered who use MYUG free WiFi.”
Launched in September 2016, MYUG is accessible in the Districts of Kampala and Entebbe, starting from 6PM to 6AM for weekdays and starting from 3pm on Saturday, all through to Monday.
It was first tested on Sunday October 2nd at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Carnival where a number of users accessed the service to share experiences from the festival.
According to Statistics which PC Tech Magazine has accessed, October registered the highest number of users at 3035, 2610 being males and 425 being ladies.
During the launch in 2016, ICT Minister Tumwebaze remarked that “Internet access is no longer a luxury but a necessity for all Ugandan citizens.”
With the number of MYUG users growing steadily, it goes to stamp Tumwebaze’s ambition that “The ICT sector must remain at the centre of this countrywide transformation, and steering Uganda to world class efficiency and productivity.”
The statistics have however received criticism from a number of stake holders, most of whom claim that the list of requirements for registration is too long, hence hindering the number of people accessing the network.
According to NITA-U officials, the network which is shared between government agencies and the public has capacity of up to 2 megabits per second.
There are also particular restrictions to downloading videos and access to particular “bad” sites.
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