| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Information Technology |
| Founded | 2000[1] |
| Headquarters | Kampala, Uganda |
| Key people | Donald Nyakairu Ag. Chief Executive Officer[2] |
| Services | Telecommunication |
| Website | Homepage |
Uganda Telecom, whose full legal name is Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL), is an information and communication technology network company in Uganda.
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Following the passage of the Communications Act in 1997, by the Ugandan Parliament, the then Ugandan parastatal company Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Company Limited (UPTCL), was divided to four entities:
In June 2000, UTL was privatized when the Government divested 51% of its shares to Ucom, a consortium formed by Detecon, of Germany, Telecel International of Switzerland and Orascom Telecom of Egypt. The Ugandan Government retained 49% ownership in UTL. Orascom sold their interest in Ucom to Telecel, sometime between 2002 and 2003.[3]
In March 2007, LAP Greencom, a subsidiary of Libya African Investment Portfolio (LAP), a company owned by the Government of Libya,[4] bought into Ucom, while Detecon sold their interest in the consortium to Telecel International. The new shareholding structure in UTL, left the Ugandan government with a 31% ownership, while Ucom's shareholding increased to 69%.[5]
As of January 2010, Uganda has eight (8) operational telecommunications companies, serving in excess of 10 million subscribers, out of a population estimated at about 32 million.[6] The providers include:
Uganda Telecom is a leading total communications provider with a broad range of services in Uganda, including:
In February 2009, UTL introduced a mobile money transfer service in conjunction with Redknee Solutions Inc., a Canadian IT company.[8][9] In September 2009, UTL became the first Ugandan provider to introduce the solar powered hand-held mobile phone, locally called Kasana.[10]
In July 2011, UTL estimated their own market share of the Ugandan telecommunication industry at about 10%.[11]
As of July 2011, Uganda Telecom is a joint venture between a LAP Green of Libya, which owns 69% of UTL, and the Ugandan Government, which owns the remaining 31%. The ownership of the company is summarized in the table below:[12]