Kampala – Government through the National Information and Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U) has announced a price cut of internet for government entities from $70 to $35 for each Megabits per second (Mbps).
According to Minister for ICT and National Guidance Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, this is done to ensure that government entities provide good and efficient services to Ugandans.
The minister says the development will also help government to save some money it has been spending on internet.
“With this bold move, NITA-U will drive substantial savings on the government’s communication budget, catalyze the adoption of eGovernment Services, and disrupt the Internet market,” said Minister Baryomunsi while addressing Journalists at Uganda Media Center (UMC) in Kampala on Tuesday.
He said NITA-U’s actions today will inspire private ISPs to follow suit, ultimately benefiting all Ugandans with more affordable and accessible Internet services.
“The implications of this price cut are profound. It will enable us to connect more citizens, businesses, and government institutions to the digital world, opening up unprecedented opportunities for growth, innovation, and development,” the minister added
Announcing this new development at UMC on Tuesday, Dr. Hatwib Mugasa the Executive Director of NITA-U said the general outcome of the price cut is expected to help spur digitization, e-services absorption and growth of internet usage across the country.
“From the FY 2017/2018 to date NITA-U has maintained a steady rate of $70 for each Mbps of Internet following a competitive market analysis against the average market rate which is currently at $ 84. However, in a bid to deepen e-services usage and absorption while lowering government expenditure, NITA-U has today reduced the cost of internet provision through the NBI from $70 to $35 for each Mbps,” said Dr. Mugasa
He expressed NITA-U’s resolve and commitment to further low bandwidth costs, deepen digitization, and accelerate e-services usage while at the same time lowering government expenditure through shared IT services like Internet and centralized hosting.
