Telecom firms give UCC sh3.5b

Dec 21, 2006

MTN, uganda telecom and Celtel have contributed sh3.5b to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). <br>The figure is lower than sh3.6b given last financial year.

By David Muwanga

MTN, uganda telecom and Celtel have contributed sh3.5b to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
The figure is lower than sh3.6b given last financial year.

The money is a mandatory 1% levy on the firms’ gross revenues. It is meant for the development of rural communication infrastructure.

MTN contributed sh2,043, 459,750, Celtel sh367,686,358 and uganda telecom sh1,146,588,711.

The cheques were yesterday handed over to the UCC board chairman, Dr. Abel Katahoire, by the firms’ chief executive officers in Kampala.

“The companies send us their credited accounts for each financial year and we compute a 1% levy of the money earned,” said UCC’s executive director, Patrick Masambu.

He revealed that since the inception of the Rural Communication Development Fund in 2003, 55 districts have received an Internet Point of Presence, an information communication technology training centre, internet café and website.

“Public payphones have been developed in underserved sub-counties with 316 phones available and 1,529 expected to be ready by the end 2007,” Masambu added.

He explained that an impact assessment study would be conducted to establish the magnitude of the project’s multiplier effect.

The funds will also be used to connect the 24 new districts, establish pilot call centres, 20 multi-purpose tele centres and 209 postal tele centres in each of them.

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