Seacom East Africa, a telecommunications service provider, has launched its expansion strategy for the East African market.
Speaking at the launch in Kampala on Thursday, 10 March 2022, Mr Tejpal Bedi, the managing director of Seacom East Africa, said after taking assets of Africell Uganda, they now have the critical fibre infrastructural assets to propel their services in Uganda.
“As part of the regional expansion, we will increase our fibre footprint within the Ugandan capital city of Kampala and surrounding towns,” Mr Bedi said.
“Our expansion will now mean that there is more efficient use of our services and the customers will be able to save money while doing their businesses.
We will be able to give them better customer service and we will support their improvement among others. The business can now be more efficient and concentrate on their core competency and we are here to support them as a partner,” he added.
Seacom Group CEO Oliver Fortuin noted that as part of the regional expansion, they will increase their footprint by adding 760 kilometres of fibre within Kampala and surrounding towns, a 250 square metre data centre and office space for their representatives and staff members.
Since coming to Uganda in 2009, Seacom enjoys a large footprint in Uganda’s financial services sector and works with government and NGOs.
“We are in exciting times as the East African Community comes together to build this block. We are working closely with the government and UCC to work on the broadband challenges,” he added.
Dennis Okiror, the Account Manager for SEACOM Uganda, said “SEACOM is one of the critical players ensuring that our country and our continent are connected.”
State Minister for ICT Godfrey Kabbyanga said the expansion of the company will lead to better service delivery.
“As many players come into the Ugandan market, the rates will go down because there will be accessibility of internet and data will become affordable. We welcome them here. People now have as many choices and for us that is the best in terms of competition and provision of better services,” Kabbyanga noted.
He added that his ministry has come up with strategies and innovations to align ICT investments in the various sectors in a manner that will improve the country’s Global ICT indices.
“Through the Ministry of ICT, the Government of Uganda has put in place the National ICT Initiatives Support Programme (NIISP) to facilitate the creation of an ICT Innovation ecosystem and marketplace for Ugandan innovative digital products,” he added.
“Under the ‘Digital Uganda Vision’ for 2040 the country aims to empower citizens to strive to achieve goals of sustainable development, economic progress and poverty eradication through digital innovation.”