According to a statement made by Uganda’s National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U), government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) would now pay less for internet access.
According to NITA-U, MDAs would now pay $35 megabits per second via the National Backbone Infrastructure, down from $70. “The National Information Technology Authority has today announced a further reduction of the internet bandwidth for Government Ministries, departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to $35 per megabit per second through the National Backbone Infrastructure,” stated the announcement.
Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of ICT and National Guidance, reiterated the message while addressing journalists at the Uganda Medica Centre, stating that the price drop would start immediately.
“Ladies and gentlemen, with all these significant accomplishments made by the government under NITA-U, I am happy to announce that the cost of internet access has decreased from $70 megabits per second to $35 as of today (Tuesday, August 1, 2023).I would like to note that this means that Government offices linked to the National Backbone Infrastructure will be able to access the internet at the lowest prices on the market,” he said during the press conference yesterday.
According to Baryomunsi, the government’s action will have a knock-on effect on market retail internet prices, improving the availability and affordability of internet services, ultimately benefiting the populace and possibly raising internet penetration in Uganda.
In 2013, NITA-U began providing internet services, mostly to government agencies and offices. But as time went on, the organization broadened its scope to include the private sector and niche organizations like innovation hubs, educational institutions, and Wi-Fi hotspots.
Following a competitive market analysis against the current average market rate of $84, NITA-U has maintained a consistent rate of $70 for each Mbps of Internet from the start of the financial year 2017/2018.
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