The government through the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) is promising free Wireless Internet (using WiFi technology) yet again. The hotspots installation program will be rolled out throughout Uganda where the government’s national backbone infrastructure exists. The current 600 Wi-Fi hotspot infrastructure is available in Kampala, Entebbe, and Jinja, of which 50% of the hotspots are deployed in Kampala.
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In August 2016, the ICT Minister Frank Tumwebaze while meeting a team of parliamentarians laid a plan to roll out free wireless internet around Kampala starting in October the same year. Parliament was been directed to effect this innovation to ensure that WiFi hotspots are rolled out around Kampala.
Users of the current free Wireless Internet deployment by the government report that the network is sometimes unstable. However, Government is promising to install 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across Uganda in order to curb the current drawbacks.
Speaking during the final review of the Regional Communications Infrastructure Programme that started in 2016, and ends this year in Uganda, Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, the National Information Technology Authority executive director, said this is part of the Uganda Digital Acceleration Programme that is awaiting Cabinet approval.
“We would like to provide free internet to selected areas at selected times. The internet that we are providing will be utilized by the government during working hours, and by citizens after working hours, and weekends,” he said, adding that the internet will also be used during emergencies for people applying for government services such as national identification registration.
The Internet Fiber Backbone phased project was funded by the World Bank to a tune of $75 million and has registered significant gains with the government’s plan to extend Wi-Fi across the country among other services it provides.