TowerCo of Africa Uganda has secured US$40 million in funding from the European Investment Bank, the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB), and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries to enhance network coverage in Uganda’s rural areas.
The funding will be delivered over ten years and used to install 506 new telecom towers in rural areas that currently lack mobile network access or where existing mobile networks are saturated. The strategic placement of these towers will enable rural communities to access 4G and 5G data services and mobile money solutions and promote financial inclusion.
Currently, only 65% of Uganda has mobile network coverage, and this investment aims to overcome the barriers to rural access to reach the country’s goal of 95% coverage. Multiple mobile network operators will share the new towers, providing more comprehensive and inclusive network access to rural communities and ensuring commercial viability for network expansion.
To align with TowerCo of Africa Uganda’s commitment to responsible infrastructure development and climate action, a significant portion of the new towers will be powered by solar energy, reducing the risk of fuel and generator theft.
The CEO of TowerCo of Africa Uganda, Geoffrey Donnels Oketayot, said that deploying hundreds of new telecom towers across Uganda will make a significant leap towards bridging the digital divide and ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age. The installation of the new telecom towers, which will be completed over the next two years, is expected to create 2,000 skilled and unskilled jobs for local communities during construction.
