Ugandans living in Kampala and some areas of Entebbe will starting tomorrow October 1st 2016 have access to free internet as pledged by president Museveni in the NRM Manifesto.
Addressing the press at Uganda media centre in Kampala this morning, Frank Tumwebaze, the minister of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance, ICT said the trial provision of free wireless access to Internet in Kampala Central Business District and parts of Entebbe starts effective tomorrow 1st Oct 2016.
This will be facilitated by the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U).
Tumwebaze said that internet access is no longer a luxury but a necessity for all Ugandan citizens. “The ICT sector must remain at the center of this country-wide transformation steering Uganda to world class efficiency and productivity” he added.
He explains that internet costs have reduced from 1200 USD to 300 USD per megabit per second per month in 2010 and 2016 respectively.
“We are now able to broaden the reach of internet access to all citizens by effectively utilizing the capacity the country built by investing in infrastructure.”
According to the minister, NITA-U also partnered with Research Education Network of Uganda to connect over 50 campuses across the country for universities and research institutions as part of the program to connect target user groups to the NBI.
“We will be providing free Wi-Fi services at the Kampala Capital City Authority Street Carnival this Sunday 2nd October 2016 for a full day. Subsequently, we will be providing free Wi-Fi services between 6:00PM and 6:00am on week-days, over the weekends; Wi-Fi will be free from Saturday 3:00PM through to Monday 6:00am” Tumwebaze said.
The official launch of free Wi-Fi service will be at the end of October 2016.
