Uganda is laying down a bold digital path as ageing undersea cables near the end of their lifespan, disrupting Internet delivery across East Africa.
Frequent outages and slowdowns have hit users hard. But now, telecom giants are responding with fresh infrastructure to keep the country online—and ahead.
MTN Uganda has unveiled a major upgrade: a new 1,000-kilometre terrestrial fibre optic link from Kampala to Malaba on the Kenyan border.
Built by Bayobab Kenya and cthe $4 million project includes a 260-kilometre stretch laid along the Kampala-Malaba railway line.
This fibre link plugs directly into Bayobab’s landing stations at the Kenyan coast, offering an alternative route to the older submarine cables in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
Those undersea cables, launched between 2009 and 2012, revolutionized East African connectivity at the time. But now, they are fast approaching obsolescence.
According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Internet demand continues to surge, outpacing the capacity of ageing infrastructure. That makes MTN’s move not just strategic but urgent.
But MTN isn’t alone. Airtel Uganda is eyeing the skies. It’s banking on Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite Internet service, to add resilience.
Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites promise high-speed Internet in even the most remote corners—without relying on vulnerable submarine cables.
The company has already started seeking regulatory approval in Uganda and other East African nations.
This marks a critical shift. The region has long depended on undersea cables since they came online in 2009, slashing Internet latency and halving data prices. Back then, satellite-based Internet cost up to $2,000 per megabit monthly—a price few could afford.
Now, with satellite tech cheaper and fibre rollout accelerating, Uganda is diversifying its digital arteries.
Experts say East Africa’s future lies in blending terrestrial fibre with satellite systems to create a stable, scalable Internet network.
This hybrid model isn’t just about avoiding outages. It’s about powering e-commerce, education, healthcare, and digital governance in a region where connectivity gaps still hold back progress.
As the coastal cables age out, Uganda is proving that staying online isn’t just about digging trenches—it’s about staying a step ahead.
