The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) reveals there are currently 33 telecommunication firms operating in Uganda licensed in five (5) categories; National Telecom Operator (NTO), National Public Service Provider (NPSP), Regional Public Service Provider (RPSP), National Public Infrastructure Provider (NPIP) License and, Regional Public Infrastructure Provider (RPIP) license.
Prior, UCC last year proposed on a new licensing framework standardizing and reclassifying telecommunication firms into 5 licensing categories; NTO, NPSP, RPSP, NPIP, and RPIP. Thereby, calling all telcos operating in Uganda to register for the type of licence they wanted. The new licensing framework was later passed and put into effect in October of 2019.
The new framework is based on 5 key principals;
- Local Listing of shares (at least 20% on USE within two years of acquiring license).
- Structured renewal of licenses.
- Number portability.
- Spectrum Management.
- National Coverage.
| Telecommunication Operators in Uganda as of April 1st, 2020 — UCC | ||
|---|---|---|
| NO. | Telecommunication Operator | Current Licence |
| 1 | MTN Uganda Ltd | NTO |
| 2 | Uganda Telecom Limited | NTO |
| 3 | AIRTEL Uganda Ltd | PIP & PSP |
| 4 | Africell Uganda Ltd | PIP & PSP |
| 5 | Smile Communications Uganda Ltd | PIP & PSP |
| 6 | Tangerine Limited | PSP & PIP |
| 7 | Smart Telecom ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 8 | Roke Investments Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 9 | Liquid Telecom Ltd (formerly Infocom) | PSP & PIP |
| 10 | Bandwidth & Cloud Service Group Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 11 | Gilat Telecom Limited | PSP Voice & Data |
| 12 | Africa IBC Bids Info Technology Ltd | PSP -Capacity Resale |
| 13 | Hamilton Telecom Ltd | PSP – Voice & Data |
| 14 | Blue Crane Communications Ltd | PSP – Voice & Data |
| 15 | The National Information Technology Authority – Uganda | PIP & PSP |
| 16 | Wanainchi Cable Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 17 | BT Solutions Ltd | PSP – Capacity Resale |
| 18 | Satyam Technical Services Ltd | PSP – Capacity Resale |
| 19 | TruIT (U) Ltd | PSP – Capacity Resale |
| 20 | Datanet.com LLC | PSP – Capacity Resale |
| 21 | Sombha Solutions Store Ltd | PSP -Voice & Data |
| 22 | i-way Africa (U) Ltd (Afsat Communications) | PSP & PIP |
| 23 | Seacom Uganda Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 24 | SimbaNET Uganda Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 25 | Sky Dot.com Ltd | PSP Capacity Resale |
| 26 | Internet Solutions Uganda Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 27 | WiAfrica Uganda Ltd | PSP & PIP |
| 28 | East African Broadband Services Limited | PSP Voice & Data |
| 29 | East Africa Radio Networks Ltd | PSP Voice & Data |
| 30 | American Tower Company Ltd | PIP |
| 31 | Eaton Towers (U) Ltd | PIP |
| 32 | Uganda Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd | PIP |
| 33 | C-Squared Ltd | PIP |
Lycamobile Uganda, a new operator in the country isn’t on the list considering that it launched early in January this year. It was officiated by the first deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Moses Ali, on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni. Therefore, it will be reviewed by UCC in the near future and then added to the list.
UCC was established to implement the provisions of The UCC Act 2013 in accordance with the Laws of Uganda, with the principal goal of developing a modern communications Infrastructure in Uganda, in conformity with the operationalization of the telecommunications policy.
The Commission isn’t only a regulator, but also a facilitator and promoter of sustainable growth and development of Uganda’s communications sector.
