Gov’t tasks telecom companies to make smart phones affordable

By Moses Ndhaye

The government has asked mobile telecommunication companies to remove barriers hindering the most isolated and least served communities in the country to access smartphones.

The minister for ICT Judith Nabakoba says as the government continues to make the internet affordable, it’s crucial for the telecommunication operators in the country to make smartphone handsets affordable to the community.

She says this will help the country’s digital sector to grow.

She adds that Uganda’s telecommunication sector has grown from 26.7 million active subscribers to 28.4 million by the end of March 2020 which translates to 1 million scramblers in the country.

While launching a partnership between Airtel Uganda and MasterCard, to drive digital inclusion in Uganda through affordable Pay-on-Demand services, Nabakoba says the number of people using smartphones in the country now stands at 7.9 million people.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna