Improved infrastructure boosts Ugandan internet offerings

Details: James Barton; Category: Data Centres & Networks; 10 October 2012; 10254 views

Uganda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to gain full internet connectivity...

Uganda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to gain full internet connectivity, reports Research & Markets. Being landlocked, the country depended entirely on satellites for its international connectivity until 2009 when several international submarine fibre optic cables landed on the African east coast.

Uganda is now connected via a national fibre backbone extending to its borders, implemented by Uganda Telecom and MTN Uganda. By 2012, prices for international bandwidth had fallen to a fraction of their original cost, but retail pricing of broadband services is still relatively expensive, especially when considering purchasing power parity.

However, wireless and mobile technologies such as WiMAX, EV-DO and LTE are now putting the internet within reach of a much wider part of the population than traditional fixed-line DSL services have in the past. These improvements in infrastructure are revolutionising the market and enabling converged voice, data and digital media services.