Shortly after MTN Uganda recently launched an easy payment plan that allows customers to get smartphones and pay in easy installments over a specified period dubbed ‘Pay mpola mpola’, Airtel Uganda has a similar product offering of its own called Kwata Essimu.
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The journey to having all Ugandans digitally connected is having a slow pace compared to other East African member states, which has been attributed to both internet and the smartphones. Information from the ICT ministry shows that Uganda’s communication sector has had an increase in active subscribers from 26.7 million in 2019 to 28.4 million last year which translates to a total growth of 1 million subscribers and quarter-to-quarter growth of 7 percent.
ICT minister Jiduth Nabakooba says they have also recorded an increase in active smartphone users to 7 million as of March 2020. However, even when the government invested in the National Fiber backbone infrastructure, with the aim of having internet costs go down, the cost of smartphones is still hampering their targets. The govt believes that Airtel Uganda’s initiative Kwata Essimu will further positively impact smartphone penetration in the country.
As telecom companies continue to struggle to have the number of Ugandans with smartphones increase, Airtel’s smartphone credit facility will enable citizens to own smartphones at a low cost. Airtel has partnered with MasterCard, Asante, and Samsung to introduce this pay on-demand service that will enable individuals and SMEs to afford smartphones on a hire purchase basis at low cost while distributing payments over a period of time. Customers will choose a loan repayment plan of either 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, or tenure of 10 months. Don’t expect to get a Galaxy S series phone as this is limited to entry-level Samsung Smartphones in the A series like the Galaxy Core A3, A01, or A11.
