The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has built a 60-meter telephone mast in Lapono Sub-County, Agago district.
The mast valued at 200 million Shillings stands at Akeno Village, Amyel Parish in Lapono Sub-County. It is expected to help telephone operators and media houses to access networks and expand their reach.
The Minister for Information, ICT and National Guidance Dr Chris Baryomuns is optimistic that the mast will address issues of connectivity in the area. He observed that most of the masts in the country are constructed by the private sector, which, unfortunately, is not attracted to certain areas.
Baryomunsi explained that the government has a responsibility to ensure that telephone users in underserved areas can communicate and connect in the digital world, and added that UCC will construct 63 towers to ease communication and connectivity across the country.
UCC Executive Director George William Nyombi Thembo said the 63 shared masts will be constructed in underserved areas in the country in the first phase of the exercise. Thembo said more than 350 sites will be fitted with shared masts in the next five years.
The development comes just five months after area residents complained about the weak telephone connectivity in the district.
Charles Okech, a resident of Akeno Central Village said they had been struggling with phone connectivity for years. Airtel has already mounted its antenna on the shared mast, which Okech said has greatly improved its network.
Agago Deputy Resident District Commissioner Susan Akot Moro commended the government for constructing the mast, saying it will ease communication on matters of security. Agago has 26 administrative units and is constantly disturbed by insecurity caused by Karamojong cattle rustlers.
Akot said communication between security personnel and the local leaders in cases of raids was not easy because of poor phone networks. Akot appealed to UCC to strengthen the phone network in more sub-counties which remain affected.
Some of the sub-counties with the weakest network in the district are; Lai Muto, Lamiyo, Kotomor, Omiya Pachwa, Lira Palwo, Adilang, Ajali and Omot. Telephone users in such sub-counties always climb on trees or anthills to search for networks or travel to other sub-counties when they need to make important calls.
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