Protecting the Digital Gains: How a Government IXP Could Undermine Uganda’s Future

Why Market Forces Should Drive IXP Ecosystem Growth

Overview (TLDR)

Uganda’s Internet ecosystem has achieved remarkable progress over the past three decades. Sound regulation, private-sector investment, and community collaboration have created one of the most competitive markets in the region. Wholesale bandwidth prices have dropped from roughly $5,000 to $0.50 per megabit in just 15 years, and nearly all networks now interconnect locally through the Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UIXP), a neutral, non-profit service that enables fast, secure, and affordable traffic exchange.

Uganda’s well functioning industry has attracted investment from infrastructure developers, international wholesalers, global content providers, and local access networks – fostering competitive pricing dynamics and sophisticated commercial collaborations. Uganda also recently attracted its first carrier-neutral data center, Raxio, which is a critical facility for hosting large-scale content, facilitating interconnection, and strengthening Uganda’s position in the regional digital economy.

Recently, however, the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) announced plans to launch a government-run Internet Exchange Point (IXP) with an ambiguously worded requirement for "Mandatory Domestic Peering" which suggests that ISPs may be obligated to exchange domestic traffic at the new IXP, though the scope and enforcement of this requirement remain unclear. Separately, consultants hired by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) produced a market study which recommends the deployment of additional IXPs in secondary cities based on uncorroborated sources and questionable methodologies provided by ChatGPT.

While these initiatives may be well-meaning, they are not based on market demand. As a result, they could unintentionally oversupply and fragment the market, slow sector growth, and weaken the country’s prospects as an emerging regional Internet hub. In particular, the launch of a mandatory government IXP constitutes a state entry into a private-sector industry which could discourage investment, deter new entrants, and pave the way for a de jure national monopoly.

While there is a growing need for redundancy in Uganda's IXP ecosystem, international experience shows that this is best achieved through private-sector competition. If the government requires redundancy beyond what private IXP operators can provide, bilateral Private Network Interconnections (PNIs) are the best solution. PNIs, also known as cross-connects, are simple and cheap to deploy and maintain, and can be used for mandatory public/private interconnections without introducing the risks associated with a multilateral government IXP.

Uganda’s Internet ecosystem is already on a successful path. If we stay the course, the country will soon reach the scale where multiple private IXPs can coexist sustainably based on market demand, similar to the natural growth experienced in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and other regional markets. The government can accelerate this outcome by reconsidering its plan to launch an IXP in favour of safer alternatives such as Private Network Interconnects (PNIs), by reducing taxes to stimulate demand, by making it easier to do business in Uganda, and by continuing to nurture the existing private-sector ecosystem.

A Note on Perspective

As Uganda’s only existing IXP operator, we recognise that some may view our position as self-interested. However, the UIXP was founded in 2001 as a non-profit community initiative and has actively defended open market access including the right for other IXPs to compete based on voluntary market dynamics. Our position is guided not by self-preservation, but by experience, data, and international best practice which we encourage readers to verify through the references provided.

Over nearly two decades, we have built a strong and respectful relationship with the Government of Uganda based on transparency, trust, and collaboration. Multiple government networks are now connected to our exchange and even pay to support the platform’s sustainability. Two of these networks (UTL & NITA) have partnered with us on initiatives such as the Google and Akamai caching projects. We also work closely with various government agencies on security and technical matters from time to time.

In that spirit, our hope is that this post can provide an evidence-based contribution that helps the government avoid actions that could unintentionally harm Uganda’s Internet ecosystem and national economy. 

 

How the Internet & IXPs Work

The Internet is not a single network, but a "network of networks," whereby thousands of independent networks operated by service providers, governments, and content companies interconnect to exchange data. These interconnections can occur in several ways, but the most efficient and scalable way is through Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) which are neutral switching platforms where multiple networks meet to exchange data traffic directly.

A simple economic rule underpins the Internet: "Distance = Cost." The closer content and users are to each other, the faster and cheaper their communication becomes.

In Uganda, most of the content and services people access are hosted abroad. This international traffic reaches the country via submarine cables landing in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, then travels inland through cross-border fibre connections. Because this data must traverse long distances, it is relatively costly to deliver and slower to reach end users.

IXPs like the Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UIXP) make it easier and more cost-effective for networks and platform providers to host content and services locally. This allows them to serve users from Uganda rather than from abroad. This lowers the overall cost of Internet service delivery, improves Internet performance, reduces Uganda’s reliance on international links, and makes investment in data centers and digital infrastructure more attractive.

Beyond improving performance and affordability, IXPs strengthen national resilience and security by keeping domestic traffic within Uganda, ensuring that it can continue to flow even if international links are disrupted. However, IXPs are not the only way networks can interconnect: operators can also establish Private Network Interconnects (PNIs) or exchange traffic regionally through facilities in neighboring countries. A healthy Internet ecosystem supports multiple interconnection models while letting the market determine the most effective approach. 

 

The State of the Internet in Uganda

For three decades the government, industry, and local community have fostered healthy competition and growth. Today, Uganda’s Internet ecosystem is strong, resilient, and sophisticated:

• Multiple cross-border fibre routes connect Uganda to the global Internet via the Kenyan and Tanzanian coast, and inland to Rwanda, South Sudan, and the DRC.
  
  
• The backbone and metro fibre markets are open and competitive with robust infrastructure sharing and advanced service offerings including dark fibre.
  
  
• The access market is vibrant with a variety of local, regional, and global operators covering mobile, wireless, and fixed-line communications. Competitive dynamics have led to tower sharing and rapid retail price reductions and Uganda now boast some of the lowest access prices in the African region.
  
  
• Data center infrastructure is diversifying as evidenced by the 2021 launch of Raxio, the country’s first carrier-neutral colocation facility.
  
  
• The non-profit UIXP interconnects nearly all networks within the country, operates with excess capacity, and has strong community support. The UIXP is considered a model IXP within the region and plays a leading role in various pan-African institutions. Its success has attracted regional networks and global content providers including Akamai, Meta, and Netflix which now host their data locally, directly improving user experiences and keeping value within the country.
  
  

The results speak for themselves: wholesale bandwidth prices have fallen by more than 99% in just 15 years, while Internet accessibility and reliability continue to improve. These are the hallmarks of a healthy, competitive market that is steadily moving toward the scale needed to support multiple IXPs.

But Uganda does not operate in isolation; it competes directly with Kenya, a more established regional hub where the private sector has produced multiple IXPs and data centers. With coastal access and a larger economy, Kenya holds structural advantages, so Uganda must capitalise on its own strengths and avoid policy missteps that could undermine its attractiveness to investors, content providers, and other industry players.

 

But Uganda does not operate in isolation; it competes directly with Kenya, a more established regional hub where the private sector has produced multiple IXPs and data centres. Kenya's coastal access enables international operators to serve Uganda remotely if local conditions are unattractive. To compete as a secondary inland market, Uganda must aggressively capitalise on its strengths and avoid any missteps that could deter investors, content providers, and other Internet industry players.

What Is the Government Proposing?

In October 2025, NITA-U announced the creation of a government-run IXP called the National IP Peering Exchange (NIPX), with a "Mandatory Domestic Peering" requirement which states that networks would be "encouraged and, where applicable, required to exchange domestic traffic at the NIPX." The stated goals include improving performance, reducing international dependency, and strengthening digital sovereignty. Yet no industry or public consultation appears to have been conducted prior to the announcement, and the referenced National Peering Policy is not publicly available beyond the information included in the announcement.

 

While we appreciate the implication that this new IXP would operate in parallel to the UIXP (and other private IXPs which could theoretically enter the market in the future), we have a serious concerns about this announcement which we will elaborate below.

 

 

Separately, the UCC recently engaged consultants who generated an extensive market analysis report that recommends building two more IXPs in secondary cities based solely on population-based formulas cited from an uncorroborated ITU report. Alarmingly, this recommendation and the wider report appears to have been generated by ChatGPT, casting doubt on its methodological rigor. We understand that the UCC conducted a validation workshop for this report, but we were not included in that process and do not know if they intend to pursue this specific recommendation.

 

 

The screenshots above show page footers that clearly indicate that ChatGPT was used to generate the list of sources and corresponding recommendations in the UCC consultant's report.

These initiatives, though independent and presumably well intentioned, raise serious concerns because they would introduce significant structural changes to the market without clear evidence of demand or national benefit.

 

Exploring the Motivations for a Government IXP

The rationale stated in NITA’s IXP announcement sounds appealing — increased digital sovereignty, faster speeds, lower costs, and greater security — but in Uganda’s case, these issues are already addressed:

• Digital Sovereignty: Nearly all networks in Uganda already interconnect voluntarily via the UIXP and various Private Network Interconnects (PNIs), so the capacity to localise traffic and content already exists. Rather than duplicating this capacity, the government should build on it by creating an enabling environment that attracts more content and cross-border interconnection to existing private-sector facilities such in order to stimulate additional investment in the sector.
  
  
• Performance & Cost: Because the capacity to localise domestic traffic and content already exists, a new IXP would not materially improve national Internet performance unless it succeeds in attracting additional content and interconnection beyond what the existing ecosystem already enables. Since government-operated IXPs tend to under-perform and are typically less attractive to network operators than private IXPs, a new government IXP is unlikely to achieve this. Furthermore, because the cost of peering via the UIXP is a relatively insignificant component of overall service delivery costs, a government IXP would not materially reduce national Internet access costs even if it offered its service for free.
  
  
• Security: With a significant portion of domestic traffic already being localised via the UIXP and various PNIs, Uganda’s reliance on foreign transit networks and cable systems for internal communications is already reduced, significantly lowering the risk of external eavesdropping and traffic manipulation. When it comes to state security, the government has dedicated network infrastructure, encrypts its inter-network traffic, and has a wide range of tools to enforce its monitoring and censorship authority including regulatory compliance systems hosted inside Uganda's various access networks — a far more direct and effective point of control amid Uganda's increasingly complex web of interconnections.
  
  

In NITA's defense, such claims are typical of marketing in our industry and it is likely that any new private IXP would promote themselves similarly. The key difference is that a private IXP would need to prove its stated value proposition by competing for industry demand, whereas NITA can rely on its government authority to mandate connections regardless of market realities.

Beyond the stated objectives, some might wonder if the government's motivation includes a desire for financial income, but we think this would be misguided because most IXPs are not money-making ventures and the opportunities for profit in Uganda are extremely limited. The UIXP, for example, operated entirely on volunteer effort and donations from 2001 to 2017. Even today, with around 30 connected networks, it only earns enough income to cover operations, pay salaries, and ensure long-term sustainability. Simply put, there is no "gold mine" and a government-run IXP is more likely to become a recurring cost than a source of revenue.

In light of the above, we believe a mandatory government IXP would offer no clear commercial, public, or national benefit, and would introduce significant risks compared to the safer alternative of mandatory PNIs.

The Likely Impact on Uganda’s Digital Ecosystem

Regardless of any benefits, the imposition of a mandatory government IXP could have several unintended consequences:

• Premature Fragmentation: Forcefully splitting Uganda's demand for multilateral network interconnection across multiple facilities could unnecessarily dilute network effects which, in turn, could slow the growth of Uganda's data center ecosystem and hinder the country's development as an inland regional Internet hub.
  
  
• Higher Service Delivery Costs: Similarly, forcing ISPs to connect to a new IXP without corresponding market demand could artificially increase network complexity and inflate service delivery costs.
  
  
• New Market Barriers: Mandatory multilateral peering requirements would discourage some networks from entering Uganda. International networks are often unwilling to enter markets where they would be forced to interconnect with competitors or customers against their will.
  
  
• Reduced Investment: In addition to the above, top-down policy shifts, especially government forays into private markets, introduce uncertainty and risk in a sector that depends heavily on stability and predictability.
  
  
• Slower Economic Growth: Premature fragmentation, increased operational costs, new market barriers, and reduced investor confidence would slow market development, job creation, and broader economic growth.
  
  
• Wasted Public Funds: Building redundant infrastructure when private solutions already exist diverts resources from more pressing national priorities.

In summary, mandatory government IXPs can distort market dynamics, increase service delivery costs, discourage market participation, deter investment, and slow economic growth — outcomes that run counter to Uganda's development objectives. They also carry a significant risk of mandate expansion that could concentrate control over domestic interconnection.

In contrast, when a new private IXP enters the market, it offers services and succeeds only if there is genuine demand; otherwise the market naturally filters out unnecessary facilities. This voluntary, demand-driven model avoids premature fragmentation and maintains the coherence of the domestic interconnection environment.

In time, as Uganda’s economy grows and the regional Internet ecosystem expands, a second IXP will become both viable and healthy for the market — but it should emerge naturally from market demand, not through a top-down intervention.

 

What Should Be Done Instead

 

The Ugandan Internet ecosystem is fundamentally well configured as evidenced by various indicators including wholesale bandwidth pricing that is now among the lowest in Africa. To develop it further, the government should avoid unnecessary duplication and forays into private markets. Instead, it should:

• Mandate Private Network Interconnects (PNIs) between government and private networks to gain more redundancy and control over critical traffic flows without incurring all of the costs and risks associated with launching a government IXP.
  
  
• Reduce Internet taxes which now account for over 50% of the cost of access in order to improve accessibility, grow demand, and improve market competitiveness.
  
  
• Facilitate investment and competition by making it easier to do business in Uganda and by avoiding unpredictable and undesirable market interventions.
  
  
• Continue collaborations with community stakeholders including the UIXP in order to identify effective ways to further develop Uganda’s Internet ecosystem and strengthen its regional position.
  
  
• Promote carrier neutral data centers like Raxio by deploying government services (such as NIRA) inside these facilities, and by avoiding actions that would unnecessarily dilute their ecosystems.
  
  
• Authorise LEO satellite systems with in-country ground stations, traffic-localisation requirements, and other restrictions to prevent market distortions.
  
  
• Engage in open consultation with industry and civil society before undertaking significant actions or policy changes to ensure alignment with local and regional market realities.
  
  
• Promote broader economic development because the Internet industry cannot grow unless the overall economy does.

Conclusion

Uganda’s Internet industry has thrived on market-driven investment, competition, and collaboration. A second IXP could strengthen this ecosystem, but only where there is sufficient natural demand to sustain it. A mandatory government-run exchange, by contrast, would offer no clear benefit, risk premature fragmentation of the Internet ecosystem, and weaken Uganda’s long-term growth prospects.

We encourage the government to take a step back, consult openly with stakeholders, and base its next moves on evidence and market realities. Uganda’s incredible progress over the past two decades has been driven by enabling innovation, not imposing it, and this strategy remains key to future growth.

By staying true to these principles, Uganda can protect the gains that have made its Internet industry one of the most advanced in the region. 

Formal Submission

In order to ensure that our views are considered by the government, the UIXP made a formal submission to NITA-U and the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance on December 11, 2025. A copy of this submission can be found on our website.

Safeguarding Uganda's Digital Autonomy in a Low Earth Orbit Future

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite Internet services are a hot topic in Uganda’s tech community, with services like Starlink frequently trending in online conversations as the government deliberates on whether to allow them in our market and under what conditions. 

The appeal of LEOs is clear: global coverage, fast deployment, and the promise of high-speed connectivity in even the most remote corners of the world. LEO operators such as Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and SpaceSail represent a transformative shift in global telecommunications. They offer undeniable potential in markets where terrestrial infrastructure is limited or completely absent. However, in developing markets like Uganda, where the sector is evolving rapidly, we feel that it’s important to approach these developments with caution.

Uganda’s market has developed rapidly over the past 15 years. Wholesale bandwidth pricing has dropped from $4,000 to $1.50 per megabit. We now have multiple cross-border fibre backbones and good metro fibre coverage in most urban areas – with wireless and mobile networks extending beyond that. While there are still challenges, particularly around affordability due to taxes (which make up approximately 60% of the retail price), accessibility, and quality of service, the situation is improving rapidly, and the foundation for sustainable local growth and digital autonomy is in place.



The challenge with LEO services is that they bypass the terrestrial infrastructure that local operators and governments have spent years building. They send local Internet traffic into the sky, circumventing our fibre networks, Internet exchange points, and data centers. If these services were to gain significant traction, it could discourage future investment in domestic infrastructure, undermine the sustainability of local ISPs who employ Ugandans in large numbers, and create a significant digital dependency. Uganda would have
little leverage if such providers were to suddenly change their terms of service, restrict access, or raise prices, especially in a scenario where local alternatives have eroded.

A particular point of concern is the possibility that LEO services might not deploy a local IP node or ground station within Uganda. If user traffic is routed through the sky to neighbouring countries, or even further afield, it would encourage networks to host content and interconnect in those locations instead of Uganda. This would directly threaten Uganda’s emerging role as a regional network interconnection hub just as we are beginning to see momentum.

It is worth noting that Uganda offers some important potential advantages for LEO operators looking to establish ground stations. Our central geographic location within the East African Internet ecosystem positions us to deliver the lowest average latency to neighboring countries' networks. This makes Uganda a strategic choice not only for national connectivity but also as an inland regional hub for LEO infrastructure.

In summary, we’re not opposed to LEO satellite systems and believe they can play an important role, especially in under-served areas – but if they are to operate in Uganda, we feel that it is essential to ensure that their integration is done in a way that supports, rather than undermines, our local ecosystem by requiring them to:

• Deploy a local IP node and/or ground station and route local user traffic via Uganda;
• Only provide service to users in rural areas;
  
• Register a local operating company, or partner with one, and pay taxes accordingly;
• Comply with all other relevant national regulations, just like any other operator.
  
  

These measures would go a long way in ensuring a level playing field and ensuring that the economic and technical benefits of LEOs are shared more equitably. However, even these conditions may not fully mitigate the risks, and policymakers should proceed with a clear understanding of the potential long-term impacts.

LEO satellite services hold exciting potential, but without thoughtful integration, they risk undermining investment in terrestrial infrastructure – the metro networks, fibre backbones, data centers, and exchange points that form the foundation of Uganda’s digital economy. This infrastructure is not just about connectivity; it is the key to our national autonomy and influence in the global digital landscape.

By establishing clear rules for LEO operators, Uganda can embrace this promising innovation while safeguarding critical investment, protecting skilled jobs, and promoting long-term growth.

Endowment Established, Netflix Connected, Akamai Revived, New Services Launched

Message from the Executive Director

2024 was an important year for the UIXP as we took significant steps to secure our long-term sustainability and enhance our service offerings.

We recently achieved a major milestone with the launch of an endowment fund that utilises conservative interest-bearing investments to generate income. This is a key part of our long-term strategy to secure the UIXP’s future; to reduce our service pricing; and to ensure that the UIXP can remain relevant amid looming competition from international players which can offer subsidised services.

We also expanded our service offerings, deploying a Netflix cache with donated cache-fill from Lyca Mobile, and restoring Akamai's cache to service using bandwidth contributions from RENU. In addition, we recently launched a locally hosted Jitsi video conferencing service and an AI social media bot to help improve our online presence. In the background, our infrastructure remains stable and we’ve made a variety of improvements to both physical and digital security.

Despite this progress, the year was not without challenges. Google's worldwide withdrawal from remote peering sessions impacted our ecosystem, while local market conditions such as high taxes and the lingering Facebook ban continue to suppress growth.

Looking ahead, we aim to grow the endowment fund, implement a new ERP with a self-service portal, expand our portfolio of locally hosted services, and continue our involvement in regional Internet communities and initiatives.

I encourage everyone to read the full report below for more details. As always, we are grateful for everyone's support and look forward to working together for the good of the Internet in 2025!

Kyle Spencer,
Executive Director

Endowment Fund Launched

We are proud to announce that we have launched an endowment fund in order to promote the UIXP’s long-term sustainability and reduce its dependence on traditional service fees.

The endowment is based on conservative interest-bearing investments which, starting this year, will cover 25% of the UIXP's annual non-salary operating expenses. The initial installment was made possible by years of savings, conservative financial management, and multi-year prepayments from some of our larger peers, including Meta.

We aim to grow this fund over time with the hope that it will eventually cover 100% of our total annual expenses. This would allow us to offer free or near-free services which would both facilitate the growth of Uganda’s digital economy and help the UIXP stay relevant in the future as our region faces increasing competition from international IXPs that can offer subsidised services.

 

Free Ports & Raxio Discounts

We would like to remind everyone that we offer free 100 Mbps ports at Raxio with no cross-connect charges. We also offer a 6-month 25% discount on all new services at Raxio so, if you would like to connect, upgrade your port, or learn more, please contact us.

 

New Value Added Services 

• Encrypted Video Conferencing: We recently launched a free web-based open-source video conferencing system which offers features similar to Zoom and Google Meet. All user traffic is encrypted and routed via the UIXP which helps to protect users from mass surveillance. We encourage everyone to give it a try and send us feedback: https://kafunda.uixp.co.ug

• AI Marketing Bot: We recently introduced an AI marketing bot that posts occasional promotional updates on Twitter/X. This complements our manual posts and helps to ensure more consistent engagement with our community and the public.

 

Peering Updates 

• 
  Summary: We began and ended 2024 with 32 connected networks and approximately 40Gbps of peak traffic. There was some churn during this period with some networks disconnecting and others connecting. There was also a mid-year traffic depression following the disconnection of Google’s remote peering session with a subsequent boost in traffic in November caused by the restoration of the Akamai cache (see below for more details).
  

• Raxio: We now have six networks connected at the Raxio carrier neutral data center with another connecting soon. As a reminder, we offer free 100M ports and significant discounts on new services at this facility so please contact us if you would like to connect or migrate your network.

• IPv6 Adoption: 33% of all networks (10 out of 30) are peering with our route servers via IPv6 though most traffic is still exchanged via IPv4. We encourage all networks to transition to IPv6 and we are happy to provide support where possible. Click here for a live list of networks peering via IPv6 in Uganda.

• New Peers: Netflix and Kampala Siti Cable [AS328727] connected to the UIXP in 2024, though the Netflix cache is connected to the UIXP via the UIXP’s ASN [AS328998].

• Netflix: We deployed a Netflix cache this year, made accessible to all connected networks through our route servers, with donated cache-fill from Lyca Mobile. However, this cache requires manual activation. To connect, networks must append their BGP announcements to the UIXP route servers with the community string 40027:4000. For more detailed instructions, read the documentation on our website or contact us via e-mail.

• Akamai: After a period of downtime, the Akamai cache was restored on an experimental basis using donated cache-fill from RENU. However, its output is currently limited by the amount of donated cache-fill bandwidth that is available as well as the capacity of the cache cluster hardware.
  
  Traffic from this cache is automatically served to connected networks via the UIXP route servers. However, Akamai’s systems automatically moderate traffic distribution based on a variety of factors (including cache capacity) which can influence whether or not your particular ASN gets traffic from this cache cluster.
  
  We are working with Akamai to upgrade the cache cluster hardware and expect this to occur in Q2 2025. However, in order for the upgraded cluster to increase its output, we will need more cache-fill bandwidth. If we are unable to get additional donated bandwidth, we may try to implement a cache-fill cost-sharing model.

• Google: Due to a global policy change, Google withdrew from all remote peering sessions around the world. This impacted the UIXP as Google was connected via a long-distance fibre link to their nearest PoP in Mombasa. We believe this decision was largely driven by the cost and complexity of maintaining these links.
  
  We explored the possibility of either (a) inheriting the management and cost of the transport link to Mombasa in order to maintain Google’s remote peering session, or (b) replacing Google's remote peering session with a shared Google cache but, in this case, we would need to source cache-fill IPT. Both options were difficult logistically and/or financially. In either case, we would not be able to serve Google traffic for significantly less cost than our peers can already get it via wholesale IPT and, in the remote peering scenario, Google's traffic would still originate in Mombasa so there would be no latency benefit.
  

 

Facility Updates 

• Our switching infrastructure and data center facilities continue to operate reliably. We’ve also strengthened physical and digital security to ensure a safer and more resilient service environment.

• As a reminder, we send technical alerts about significant events, planned maintenance, and unplanned outages to the UIXP Techies mailing list. If your network is peering but is not a member of this list, please contact us to get added.

Accounting & Tax Updates 

• In 2023 we experienced a number of account delinquencies, particularly from smaller networks, which we attributed to challenging market conditions. Throughout 2024 we worked with the affected networks to reduce these balances and are happy to report that almost all have returned to good standing. We sincerely appreciate everyone for honouring their commitments and will do our best to ensure that we can continue to be accommodating should similar challenges arise in the future.

• Our efforts to migrate to a new open-source accounting system were delayed and did not happen in 2024 as we had hoped. However, this remains on our agenda and we hope to undertake this project in 2024. Our goal is to streamline accounting and operational processes through increased automation while providing networks with a convenient self-service portal.

• We remain in good standing with URA and have not faced any significant compliance issues during the past year.

 

Market Challenges

• The 2021 Facebook ban continues to suppress overall utilisation of the Internet and our interconnection service. It continuously inflates the cost of Internet service delivery by forcing users and networks to import Facebook traffic from international sources rather than our local cache. This makes Uganda’s Internet more expensive and its market less attractive for regional interconnection & colocation relative to neighbouring countries.

• We remain concerned by the increasingly high taxes levied on Internet services which now account for over 50% of the total cost of Internet access in Uganda. Like the Facebook ban, this hinders demand and deters investment in Uganda’s digital economy.

 

Community Engagement

• UIXP staff continue to play both leading and supporting roles within the local and regional Internet community via the African IXP Association (AFIX), the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), and the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG).

• The UIXP remains a member of the ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU) and Internet Service Provider Association of Uganda (ISPAU). We work with both organisations to promote market development and policies that are beneficial for our community.