Uganda Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Publication Date: January 2025

Report Pages: 187

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

MTN and Airtel expand 5G after securing spectrum

Uganda’s telecom sector is among the more competitive in the region. The entry of MTN Uganda as the second national operator to compete with Uganda Telecom in all telecom sectors fundamentally improved the availability and quality of services offered to end-users. Regulatory reforms in recent years have meant that Lyca Mobile Uganda and Airtel Uganda also now hold National Telecommunications Operator licences. Lyca Mobile in late 2023 sought an m-money licence to expand its service offerings, which are focused on mobile data rather than voice.

In line with the regulator’s licensing requirements by which Uganda-based companies should be broadly owned by Ugandans by mid-2022, MTN Group carried out a partial listing on the Uganda Stock Exchange in December 2021. Airtel followed suit in August 2023, though the response was poor, with only 54.5% of the shares sold.

Heightened competitive pressures prompted the exit of Africell in 2021, and caused the financially strained Smile Telecom to have its services suspended from the tower network operated by ATC.

Fixed-line infrastructure remains poor, with low penetration, and as a result fixed-line broadband penetration is also particularly low. In consequence, consumers have largely depended on mobile infrastructure to provide voice and broadband services. While there is sufficient capacity within the LTE networks to match data demand, the regulator in mid-2023 auctioned spectrum in a range of bands for 5G use. MTN and Airtel both secured spectrum, and immediately afterwards launched 5G services.

Key developments

Airtel Uganda sees only 54.5% of shares offered at its November 2023 IPO sold.
Uganda looks to Chinese vendors to work on its digital transformation program.
Uganda launches its first satellite, PearlAfricaSat-1.
Lyca Mobile Uganda to apply for an m-money licence.
MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda secure spectrum in several bands at auction in July 2023 and immediately launch 5G services.
Government passes several amendments to telecoms tax regime in 2023 legislation.
Universal access fund completes second stage of providing internet-connected solar-powered tablets to rural communities.
OneWeb partners with Airtel Africa to provide LEO satellite broadband connectivity in Uganda.
Report update includes the regulator's market data to March 2023, operator data to Q3 2023, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report

Uganda Telecom (UTel), MTN Uganda, UMEME, SEACOM, Infocom (Altech, Liquid Telecom), Internet Solutions, MTN Uganda (Telia), Bharti Airtel Uganda (Zain, Celtel), Warid Telecom (Essar), Orange Uganda (HiTS Telecom), i-Tel, Simba Telecoms, Standard Chartered Bank, Monitise, American Tower Corporation (ATC), Eaton Towers, Smile Telecom, Smart Telecom, Sure Telecom, K2 Telecom, Africell (Lintel), Infocom (Altech), Africa Online, Spacenet, MTN, Wateen Telecoms (Warid), Smile Telecom, Foris Telecom, Talk Telecom, Mo Telecom, Goal Technology Solutions (GTS), UMEME, WBS Television, NTV Uganda, MultiChoice

Key statistics
Regional Africa Market Comparison

Market characteristics
Market Leaders
Market Challengers
Market Emergents
TMI vs GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Telecommunications market

Market analysis

Digital transformation

Regulatory environment

Historical overview
Regulatory authorities

Uganda Communications Commission
National Information Technology Authority
Ministry of ICT

Fixed-line developments

Telecommunications Policy 1996
Uganda Communications Act 1997
Uganda Communications Act 2013
Regional Communications Infrastructure Program
Telecom sector liberalisation
Licensing prior to 2007
New licensing regime
Additional mobile networks
Interconnect
RCDF projects
Universal Access
Taxes

Mobile network developments

Licensing
One Network Area
Infrastructure sharing
SIM card registration
Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Roaming
Spectrum auction 2023

Mobile market

Mobile statistics
Mobile data

Mobile broadband
Mobile infrastructure

5G
4G (LTE
3G

Other infrastructure developments

Mobile satellite
Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)

Major mobile operators

MTN Uganda
Airtel Uganda (formerly Zain, Celtel)
Warid Telecom
Uganda Telecom (UTel)
Africell (Orange Uganda)
Smile Communications
Smart Telecom, Sure Telecom
Vodafone Uganda

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)
Mobile content and applications

m-banking/money
m-health

Fixed-line broadband market

Market analysis
Broadband statistics
Public Internet access locations
Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UiXP)
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed broadband services

Wi-Fi
WiMAX
Broadband over powerlines (BPL)
Satellite broadband

Digital Economy

E-commerce
E-government
E-health
E-learning

Fixed network operators

Uganda Telecom (UTel)

Privatisation
Network infrastructure

MTN Uganda

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
Fibre infrastructure

MTN and UTel
National Backbone Infrastructure (NBI)
Next Generation Networks (NGN)
UMEME
Google
Facebook
UETCL

International infrastructure

Submarine fibre
International bandwidth
Terrestrial fibre
Satellite, VSAT

Data centres
Smart infrastructure

Smart grids

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities – Uganda – 2023 (e)
Table 2 – Increase in telecom revenue – 2019 – 2023
Table 3 – Increase in telecom sector investment – 2021 – 2023
Table 4 – Telecom sector tax revenue – 2016 – 2022
Table 5 – Telecom service tax revenue (UGX billion) – 2012 – 2019; 2023
Table 6 – Increase in the number of mobile base stations and towers in service – 2015 – 2019; 2021 – 2023
Table 7 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 8 – Growth in mobile voice traffic by type (million minutes) – 2012 – 2023
Table 9 – SMS messages sent, by type (million messages) – 2014 – 2019
Table 10 – Change in the number of mobile devices by type (million) – 2020 - 2023
Table 11 – Increase in internet traffic by platform – 2020; 2022
Table 12 – Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 13 – Change in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile sites by technology – 2016 – 2023
Table 14 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Table 15 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile data subscribers – 2016 – 2023
Table 16 – Development of MTN Uganda’s financial data (ZAR million)– 2013 – 2023
Table 17 – Development of MTN Uganda’s financial data (UGX million)– 2021 – 2023
Table 18 – Development of MTN Uganda’s revenue by type (UGX million)– 2021 – 2023
Table 19 – Development of MTN Uganda’s revenue by type (ZAR million)– 2015 – 2023
Table 20 – Development of MTN Uganda’s ARPU ($) – 2012 – 2023
Table 21 – Development of MTN Uganda’s ARPU (UGX) – 2014 – 2023
Table 22 – Growth in the number of Airtel Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 23 – Change in the number of UTel’s mobile subscribers – 2013 – 2019
Table 24 – Growth in the number of Africell Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 25 – Growth in the number of mobile money agents and subscribers – 2013 – 2023
Table 26 – Growth in the number of mobile money transactions and value – 2012 – 2019; 2021 - 2023
Table 27 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile money subscribers – 2018 – 2023
Table 28 – Development of MTN Uganda’s m-money revenue – 2018 – 2023
Table 29 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration rate – 2012 – 2023
Table 30 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Table 31 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 32 – Increase in fibre cable infrastructure under the NBI – 2014 – 2020
Table 33 – Increase in national fibre cable infrastructure – 2022 – 2023
Table 34 – Increase in international internet bandwidth – 2010 – 2021
Table 35 – Increase in internet bandwidth per population – 2010 – 2018
Table 36 – Historic - Telecom market revenue in Uganda – 2008 – 2012
Table 37 – Historic - Vodafone Uganda mobile subscribers – 2015 – 2017
Table 38 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Uganda – 1996 – 2011
Table 39 – Historic - MTN Uganda subscribers – 2000 – 2011
Table 40 – Historic - MTN Uganda ARPU – 2002 – 2011
Table 41 – Historic - Airtel Uganda subscribers – 2002 – 2011
Table 42 – Historic - Internet users and penetration rate in Uganda – 1995 – 2011
Table 43 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Uganda – 1995 – 2011
Table 44 – Historic - Uganda's international internet bandwidth – 1999 – 2011
Table 45 – Historic - Telecom service tax revenue in Uganda (UGX billion) – 2008 – 2011
Table 46 – Historic - Growth in mobile voice traffic by type (million minutes) – 2008 – 2011

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders
Chart 2 – Africa – Market Leaders global ranking
Chart 3 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
Chart 4 – Africa – Market Challengers global ranking
Chart 5 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents
Chart 6 – Africa – Market Emergents global ranking
Chart 7 – Africa – Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
Chart 8 – Africa – Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Africa – Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Increase in telecom revenue – 2019 – 2023
Chart 11 – Telecom tax revenue in Uganda – 2012 – 2019
Chart 12 – Telecom tax revenue in Uganda – 2012 – 2019; 2023
Chart 13 – Increase in the number of mobile base stations and towers in service – 2015 – 2019; 2021 – 2023
Chart 14 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 15 – Growth in mobile voice traffic by type – 2012 – 2023
Chart 16 – Change in the number of mobile devices by type – 2020 - 2023
Chart 17 – Growth in the number of mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 18 – Change in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile sites by technology – 2016 – 2023
Chart 19 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Chart 20 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2016 – 2023
Chart 21 – Development of MTN Uganda’s financial data – 2013 – 2023
Chart 22 – Development of MTN Uganda’s financial data (UGX) – 2013 – 2023
Chart 23 – Development of MTN Uganda’s revenue by type (UGX)– 2021 – 2023
Chart 24 – Development of MTN Uganda’s revenue by type (ZAR)– 2015 – 2023
Chart 25 – Development of MTN Uganda’s ARPU ($) – 2012 – 2023
Chart 26 – Development of MTN Uganda’s ARPU (UGX) – 2014 – 2023
Chart 27 – Growth in the number of Airtel Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 28 – Change in the number of UTel’s mobile subscribers – 2013 – 2019
Chart 29 – Growth in the number of Africell Uganda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 30 – Growth in the number of mobile money agents and subscribers – 2013 – 2022
Chart 31 – Growth in the number of mobile money transactions and value – 2012 – 2019; 2021 - 2023
Chart 32 – Growth in the number of MTN Uganda’s mobile money subscribers – 2018 – 2023
Chart 33 – Development of MTN Uganda’s m-money revenue – 2018 – 2023
Chart 34 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration rate – 2012 – 2023
Chart 35 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 36 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Africa
Exhibit 2 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 3 – Africa – Market Leaders and market developments
Exhibit 4 – Africa – Market Challengers and market developments
Exhibit 5 – Africa – Market Emergents and market developments

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Uganda Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

MTN and Airtel expand 5G after securing spectrum

Key developments

Companies mentioned in this report

Key statistics

Regional Africa Market Comparison

Country overview

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Digital Economy

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Data centres

Smart infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views