subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)
total subscriptions: 76,492
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2019 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 2,221,967
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21.61 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 25,395,503
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60.71 (2019 est.)
Internet country code
.ss
.ug
Internet users
total: 814,326
percent of population: 7.98% (July 2018 est.)
total: 9,620,681
percent of population: 23.71% (July 2018 est.)
Telecommunication systems
general assessment:
landlocked and war-torn with little infrastructure and electricity, Sudan has one of the least developed telecom and Internet systems in the world and one of the lowest mobile penetration rates in Africa; instability, widespread poverty, and low literacy rate all contribute to a struggling telecom sector; due to revenue losses, the few carriers in the market have reduced the areas in which they offer service; the government recognizes positive effects of ICT on development and is providing a range of investment incentives; international community provided billions in aid to help the young country; Chinese investment plays a growing role in the infrastructure build-out and energy sectors; by 2020, one operator had initiated e-money service; international fiber cable link from Juba to Mombasa will drive down costs of Internet; government utilizes unchecked power to conduct surveillance and monitor communications; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021)
(2020)
domestic: fixed-line less than 1 per 100 subscriptions, mobile-cellular 33 per 100 persons (2019)
international: country code - 211 (2017)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
general assessment: telecom infrastructure has developed through private partnerships; as of 2018, fixed-fiber backbone infrastructure is available in over half of Uganda's districts; mobile phone companies now provide 4G networks across all major cities and national parks, while offering 3G coverage in small cities and most rural areas with road access; price of commercial Internet services dropped substantially in 2019; consumers rely on mobile infrastructure to provide voice and broadband services as fixed-line infrastructure is poor; 5G migration is developing slowly; government commissioned broadband satellite services for rural areas in 2019 (2020) (2020)
domestic: fixed-line 1 per 100 and mobile- cellular systems teledensity about 57 per 100 persons; intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations (2019)
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog and digital links to Kenya and Tanzania
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 200
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)
total: 9,485
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2018 est.)
Broadcast media
a single TV channel and a radio station are controlled by the government; several community and commercial FM stations are operational, mostly sponsored by outside aid donors; some foreign radio broadcasts are available
(2019)
public broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), operates radio and TV networks; 31 Free-To-Air (FTA) TV stations, 2 digital terrestrial TV stations, 3 cable TV stations, and 5 digital satellite TV stations; 258 operational FM stations
