Telecom masts: UCC has blames electricity gap for poor network in remote areasBy Prisca WanyenyaThe Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has revealed that more than 780 telecom masts across Uganda are idle and non-operational due to lack of access to electricity, hampering access to communication services.The revelation was made by Nyombi Thembo, the Executive Director of UCC, while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Equal Opportunities on October 22, 2026, to respond to queries raised in the 12th Annual State of Equal Opportunities Report 2025.“Only about 25% of Uganda is connected to the national grid. Hundreds of restored telecom towers, operator reports citing approximately 780, remain idle or underutilised due to lack of reliable electricity. Operators incur high costs of fuel diesel generators, solar systems and backup equipment. Off-grid or weak-grid locations are disproportionately in remote mountains. These remote sites again are the ones where there are problems of affordability, so operators face double jeopardy, high costs of investment vis-à-vis low revenue streams,” Thembo noted.His remarks were in response to a concern raised in the State of Equal Opportunities Report that cited poor communication infrastructure in mountainous areas as part of the challenges hampering access to health care. The Equal Opportunities Commission noted that many communities lacked reliable mobile phone coverage, making it difficult to call for transport or arrange medical referrals promptly.The report noted: “Access to communication services in Uganda’s islands and mountainous areas remains limited, characterized by weak network coverage, unreliable internet connectivity, and inadequate supporting infrastructure such as electricity and transmission masts. Many of these areas are geographically isolated, making it costly for telecom companies to establish and maintain services. As a result, residents experience poor access to mobile, radio, and data services, which affects information flow, emergency response, among others.”The Commission added that limited communication infrastructure also undermines access to health services, as communities cannot easily receive health alerts, schedule medical consultations, or benefit from telemedicine and digital health platforms.“In emergencies, such as maternal complications or disease outbreaks, delayed communication with health facilities leads to preventable deaths. This digital divide perpetuates social and economic exclusion of communities in hard-to-reach areas. Bridging these gaps requires deliberate investment in rural communication infrastructure and targeted interventions to ensure inclusive and equitable access to digital and communication services for all Ugandans,” the report states.Operators Reluctant to ConnectWhile responding to the queries, Thembo told Parliament that low revenues from mountainous and island areas deter private sector investment in telecom masts and even when government intervenes, caution has to be exercised due to the reluctance of private players who seek to recoup profits.“The operators will be very, very reluctant to connect to that tower. You will end up with white elephant towers all over the place. The towers are there, but the operators don’t want to connect there. However cheap you make these towers, okay, as regulators we can come in and force them to go there like we are doing. Actually, when we have made the licence, we are going to tell them, ask them, require them or obligate them, they must go as a licensing obligation,” said Thembo.UCC also attributed poor access to communication services in mountainous and island areas to the road network, which makes it hard for telecom operators to transport equipment for mast installation.He explained: “Poor or non-existing road networks, mountainous terrain, seasonal flooding, landslides and water transport dependencies for islands make equipment delivery, construction and maintenance extremely difficult and costly. What takes days in urban areas can take months in remote settings, delaying projects and increasing risks.”Thembo cited high poverty rates as another barrier, arguing that even in areas where coverage exists, smartphone ownership and active mobile internet use remain low, with a usage gap estimated at around 75% in a recent UCC and GSMA assessment.“High device taxes, import costs and low disposable income limit uptake in these areas. Basic feature phones dominate in many rural and remote communities, restricting access to 4G-enabled services. We can talk about roads, if people can afford a service, the private sector will provide it yesterday, and all of us know that affordability is a problem because of poverty, which we talk about loudly everywhere,” he said.He cited the global metric that determines average revenue per user (ARPU), revealing that Uganda has one of the lowest, even by African standards.“When you look at European countries, average revenue per user is possibly $20 to around $45 in some jurisdictions. In Africa, it is between $2.8 to $6. Uganda, we have about $2.8, even at African standards. So that is a major, key area. You know very well that you may not spend money on a tower when you’re still struggling to get enough assistance in the health centres. So, the choices are sometimes very painful, but we move,” Thembo said.UCC also cited other compounding factors such as low population density, which reduces revenue potential, limited local content, and the need for coordinated multi-sector interventions, including energy, roads, devices and skills, which disproportionately affect mountain and island districts.Targets SetAccording to UCC, government has set June 2028 as the deadline for attaining full 2G network coverage, which is currently at 75%. By then, anyone should be able to make calls and send SMS anywhere in Uganda, while the deadline for 90% coverage of 4G network is set for June 2029.“Second Generation geographical coverage has reached 75%, it provides reliable voice calls, SMS messages, USSD-based services. This service remains essential for emergency communication, basic financial transactions and information access in areas where higher speed networks are absent or limited. This 75%, when you translate it practically on the ground, it nearly means that in this country, nearly in every parish, you get a spot where you can make a call and transact mobile money. Of course, this means that there could be some black spots in a parish somewhere, areas of, most of these areas, Amudat, Karamoja mountainous areas,” Thembo explained.UCC said focus is shifting towards satellite solutions like Starlink to provide a credible pathway to connecting remaining unserved and underserved areas, including the most challenging mountain and island communities, but this is being hampered by low uptake of the technology.“Satellite connectivity will help us to achieve 100% coverage in the remaining areas. I am sure in the next two years, satellite technology will be the new thing. Actually, for us, what keeps us awake now at UCC is not connectivity. Connectivity, the private sector is having solutions, satellite is changing the whole ecosystem. The problem now is going to be uptake. How do our people link to these capabilities provided? UCC has explicitly positioned satellite as a tool to close residual coverage gaps while continuing terrestrial expansion towards the 90% geographical 4G target,” he remarked.Parliament was also informed that UCC has finalised the review of MTN Uganda’s licence and made a ruling on how the telecom operator should expand its network by 2029, while the review of Airtel’s licence is underway.“We are in the process of reviewing the licence of Airtel. We shall give them the same targets. We shall not exceed 2029. And we hope that UTL, as a government operator, is also given capacity and we can see that the major aim of this would be now really to cover the gaps where commercial operators can’t go. We have broken the barriers for entry, so that we can attract more investment in this ecosystem,” Thembo said.UCC acknowledged the concerns raised in the Status of Equal Opportunities report, saying its aim is not to leave anybody behind because telecommunications is an enabler, facilitator and equaliser to spur development.“When they are left behind without connectivity, then they will be left behind forever. In the past 20 years globally, communication services have connected more humans than any other service you can think of to a level that, as we talk now, close to 6.2 billion people are connected worldwide out of the 8 billion in the world. When you compare this with water, electricity, this is the highest connectivity because it’s a fundamental right for people to have this,” Thembo stated.The post No Power, No Network: 780 Telecom Masts Lying Idle, Says UCC appeared first on Business Focus.