Uganda telecom operators have up to 30 January to formally notify the regulator of the type of licence they want to apply for under a new licensing regime, reports The EastAfrican. The new licensing framework will come into force on 30 June and had been announced in October 2019. The five licence categories are National Telecom Operator, National Public Service Provider, Regional Public Service Provider and Regional Public Infrastructure Provider.
Players applying for a National Telecom Operator licence will have to float at least 20 percent of the company’s shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange within two years of acquiring the new licence. According to Ibrahim Bbosa, the director of public and corporate affairs at UCC, the new licensing categories were created after a review of broadband policy.
Bbosa said the new policy framework structure is aimed at improving the quality of telecommunication services and boosting investment in the sector. It has also been standardised and reclassified to cater for existing and new operators.
