Public WiFi hotspot resellers will be able to register with the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) from this week, but the regulator will not push back its deadline for unlicensed operators to comply, UCC’s Ibrahim Bbossa has said.
In a post on X, Bbossa said UCC Executive Director Nyombi Thembo had set up a multi-stakeholder committee to review possible licensing arrangements that would let eligible resellers operate legally. The announcement followed a meeting between UCC and the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) on unlicensed hotspots across the country.
Registration will open this week for all WiFi hotspot resellers to submit their details, he said.
However, Bbossa made clear the crackdown has not been called off. He said UCC cannot extend the compliance deadline or legitimise unlawful operations, although talks with operators will continue to explore possible solutions.
“This is your chance to be counted, heard and part of Uganda’s digital future, the lawful way!” he wrote.
How we got here
Earlier this month, UCC gave unlicensed operators seven days to take down their routers and hotspot equipment, warning that anything its teams seized would be destroyed. At a meeting with UCC last week, operators represented by KACITA asked for the deadline to be suspended and for clarity on which licence would allow them to operate.
What it means for students
Pay-as-you-go hotspot WiFi is a cheap way online for many students in hostel areas such as Kikoni, Wandegeya, Banda and Kansanga. Registration could eventually give providers a legal path to keep running. But with the deadline still in force, students should keep a mobile data backup for coursework and online classes in case their hostel WiFi is switched off.
CampusBee has asked UCC for the exact registration dates and how resellers can sign up, and will update this story.
Is your hostel WiFi provider registering? Tell us. @campusbee.ug
