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Growth of The ICT Sector Since 1986

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Many years ago on 29 January 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni addressed Ugandans for the first time as national leader: “No one should think that what is happening today is a mere change of guard; it is a fundamental change in the politics of our country”. Given that Uganda had been led by seven presidents and a presidential commission in the preceding seven years, few could have expected that Museveni would remain at the helm 30 years later.

Since the coming of the NRM government under President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, there has been tremendous growth in the ICT sector, and all these milestones since then have helped and supported to shape Uganda into the country that it is today – swiftly connected to the global network.

Mr Godfrey Mutabazi the UCC ED listens in on a conversation at a recent AI conference

This all began with the liberalization of the telecommunications sector and formation of the Ministry of ICT which has greatly guided the sector into the leading contributor to the country’s GDP.

The Government of Uganda recognizes ICT as an important driver of Socioeconomic transformation. The ICT Sector is one of the core sectors identified in the National Development Plan II as one of the Job creation sectors, apart from creating new business opportunities and increased household incomes.

In addition to ICT being taken as an enabler in the service sector and executing government programs and projects, it has also been recognized as an industry that can significantly contribute to socio-economic transformation of Uganda.

The ICT sector has grown tremendously reporting a 15% annual growth in 2013 and 2014. The coming of the mobile phone handset was perhaps the most thrilling novelty of the time. This innovation has significantly eased communication among people in addition to creating employment to more than 1 million people.

Today, more than 70% of the population has access to telephones while the geographic coverage is about 86%. Related to this is the invention of mobile money, use of  internet and other phone/computer based applications, information processing, storage and dissemination, social media such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Youtube, Twitter etc., have equally experienced phenomenal growth.

On the other hand, broadcast media has experienced significant growth during the NRM leadership. For example, the radio stations have increased from 1 broadcasting station in 1986 to over 300 stations today while television stations have increased from 1 in 1986 to over 30 now. It should be noted that these have grown while at the same time enjoying maximum freedom.

Let’s break it down.

President Museveni makes a phonecall when phones where launched

Mobile Phone Handsets and Smartphones

On May 26, 1995, Museveni spoke on a mobile handset that was launched in Uganda by the Telecom leader Celtel Ltd. Seven days prior, at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, the Vice-President, Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, had launched cellular phone services in Uganda by making an international call to the British Minister of Commonwealth Development, Baroness Lynda Chalker.

The models have changed too with the years. From the bulky Ericsson models (628, GH 688), through the Nokia love affair (1610, 3310) to the Siemens S-series, flip phones like the Motorola RAZR V3 and slider phones like the Samsung E250 to the Blackberry and now-ubiquitous smartphone, the future is still being written.

Today almost 24.8m or 70.9% of Ugandans own mobile phones, a report by the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), revealed. This comes at a time when phones are very cheap, easy to use and accessible to all – Thanks to the NRM Government.

In 2018, there were 368,243 main telephone lines in use in Uganda, making Uganda one-hundred and eighth in terms of countries having the most main telephone lines. In 2016, there were 22.838 million mobile telephones in use, making Uganda fifty fourth in terms of countries having the most mobile telephones in use.

The Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Corporation had a monopoly over Uganda’s communications sector until the Uganda Communications Act was enacted in 1997. The act created the Uganda Communications Commission, the current regulator of communications in Uganda.

Just last year, President Museveni launched and opened a factory meant to produce and manufacture smartphones in Uganda

The Internet

People today are easily interconnected through the use of the World Wide Web or call it the internet. From the days when we sent letters to people through Posta/Post Office Uganda, to the times when all you have to do is send a message over the Internet with the tap of a finger.

In 2018 Uganda had 18.149 million Internet users, or 45.9% of the population (52nd in the world). This is up from 2.5 million users in 2008 (64th in the world). In 2012, Uganda had 36,332 fixed broadband subscriptions (119th in the world) or 0.1% of the population (165th in the world) and 2.5 million wireless broadband subscriptions (58th in the world) or 7.6% of the population (99th in the world).

By 2006, Uganda had 18 Internet service providers. Mobile network operators provide internet services to Ugandans alongside fixed-line internet providers.

It should be remembered that Uganda was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to gain full Internet connectivity. Both fixed-line operators, Uganda Telecom and MTN Uganda offer a range of data services including ISDN, ADSL and local and international leased lines.

To better this, there are around 12000 km of fiber in the country to ease connectivity to the internet.

Integration of E-services to the Public Sector

Today, it’s much easier to access Government services as most of them have been made online saving citizens time and lines as was in the past. A number of Government services have been made available online thus making it easy for anyone to make a payment or purchase from the comfort of their bed or office.

The automation of service delivery for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Governments to accelerate the use of websites as tools for dissemination of information and service provision. To date, two hundred forty eight (248) websites have been developed across Government MDA/LGs. Relatedly, approximately two hundred ninety seven (297) systems/ applications are in use across MDAs/LGs to promote internal efficiencies and support provision of Services to the public.

Some of the MDA services include; E-services (Uganda Revenue Authority), Self-Service (NSSF),

Uganda System Electronic Open data records (KCCA and OPM), E-services (Uganda Registration Services Bureau), E-services (UNEB), Business Registration and search (URSB), among others.

Mobile Money and Mobile Banking

Perhaps the most recent innovation in Uganda under the NRM government. Mobile Money and Mobile Banking have made it very easy for people to transact business, purchase goods, and pay for services easily without necessarily going to the bank.

Mobile money services were first introduced in March 2009; Currently, there are seven mobile money schemes in Uganda.

Mobile money has demonstrated rapid growth in the last 10 years, demonstrating a new wave of financial transacting with transactions hitting Shs80Million last year. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers pace, innovations are becoming faster, more efficient and more widely accessible than ever before.

Technology has increasingly become connected, and nations, regions and the world at large are seeing a convergence of the digital, physical and biological realms.

The National Development Plan (NDP) II whose theme is “Strengthening Uganda’s Competitiveness for Sustainable wealth creation, Employment and inclusive growth” emphasizes the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the national development process. ICT is recognised as both an opportunity and an enabler. The following targets and objectives are outlined in the NDPII for the ICT sector:

  • Increase ICT contribution to Government revenue from 8.1 percent in 2012/13 to 10 percent in 2020.
  • Increase employment in the ICT sector from 1 million to 3 million people in 2020.
  • Improve Uganda’s ICT development index by increasing access to ICT infrastructure from 1.96 (2012 Index) to 3.5 (2020 Index);
  • Improving usage of ICT from 0.75 (2012 Index) to 2.5 (2020 Index); and enhance ICT skills development from 3.69 (2012 Index) to 5.5 (2020 Index). 
  • Increase access to ICT infrastructure to facilitate exploitation of the development priorities.  Enhance the usage and application of ICT services in business and service delivery.
  • Increase job creation through ICT research and development. 
  • Increase the stock of ICT skilled and industry ready workforce.
  • Improve the information security system to be secure, reliable, resilient and capable of responding to cyber security threats. 
  • Improve the legal and regulatory frameworks to respond to the industry needs.

That said, Uganda’s ICT sector is one of the most vibrant within the region and a fast-growing sector in the economy, offering many opportunities. Growth in this sector is supported by solid legal and regulatory frameworks.

It is also connected to the three marine fiber optic cables off Africa’ east coast in the Indian Ocean. The newly developed and quantitative ICT infrastructure is ready to accommodate new investment. Uganda is positioning itself as a hub for business processing and management outsourcing in East Africa.

The main opportunities for business process outsourcing and ICT services exist in agriculture, health, tourism, banks, insurance and public administration.

Whatsapp Dark Mode is Here! Here’s How You Can Turn it on

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Tired of the cliche bright white on your WhatsApp screen? Worry no more, WhatsApp’s new dark mode is here to make the experience when chatting with friends and family even better.

Facebook is currently testing dark mode for WhatsApp, which means you won’t find it in the app’s regular settings. You’ll have to grab a beta version of WhatsApp to make the switch. However, the beta version program is already full so we have another idea for you;

Let’s try using the APK.

Sideloading apps onto your device as a matter of security is often times not recommended however, we somewhat trust APKMirror, and we shall use it to get the beta version of WhatsApp Dark Mode (version 2.20.13).

Click this link (version 2.20.13) or paste it in your phone browser, then scroll down to this download section;

Tap the green link near the word APK, then scroll down a bit on the subsequent screen until you see the big green “download APK” button. Tap that and download the WhatsApp.APK to your device.

Navigate to your Android’s Files app, tap on the .APK, ignore the scary warning, or turn off security for unknown apps on your device (Don’t forget to turn it back on) – install it.

Turn on WhatsApp, then tap on the triple-dot icon in the upper-right, and tap on Settings. Tap on Chats, and you’ll see a new listing for “Theme.” Tap that, and you’ll be able to pick whether you want WhatsApp’s look and feel to follow your device’s look and feel, or default to Light or Dark mode.


There you have it. You are dark now! Don’t be worried that you might lose some of your data doing the switch – you won’t.

Accurate forecasts and payouts at 1xbet online betting India

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In the Indian Super League, the fight for entering the playoffs is just beginning. According to the results of 1xBet online betting India, at the moment 4 teams are in the lead:

  1. ATK;
  2. Goa;
  3. North East United;
  4. Jamshedpur.

The ATK (Atletico de Kolkata) team is one of few clubs in the country’s top league that has been established just recently. The team was founded by Indian businessmen and management of the Spanish club Atletico Madrid. A Spanish specialist Antonio Lopez Abas was appointed the head coach. In the team, Spanish players are especially noticeable and they are the ones the coaching staff relies on. As resulted of the first year in the Super League, the club took first place and won gold medals. 

 According to the results of 1xbet online betting India, the latest ATK season can’t be called a success at all. The team took 6th place and wasn’t qualified for the playoff round. After the cooperation with Atletico Madrid had come to an end, the club was renamed to ATK. Before the 2020 season, the club was strengthened by several players: Dario Vidosic, Agus, Xavi Hernandez. In the new season, the team managed to come to a good shape and according to the coach, the least goal according to the results of https://1xbet.in/live/ of this season is to qualify for the playoffs. There are two ATK players in the top three scorers: Roy Krishna and David Williams. 

The “Special” returns and week-end football bets

Jose Mourinho is a very extraordinary person in the football world. His tricks on the field and at press conferences created an image of a difficult person. Despite this, no one will deny his extraordinary coaching talent. The man who brought Porto and Inter to the victory in the Champions League during the difficult times in the clubs’ history deserves respect. You can find the “Special’s” statistics at the coaching position at football bets https://1xbet.in/line/.

Now, Jose is facing a new challenge. He has already managed to leave an ambiguous mark in the history of the English Premier League and now he is to write a new page in the APL book. Thus, Mourinho is a new Tottenham head coach. The finalist of the Champions League previous season is undergoing difficult times. Perhaps, the players really need a shake-up. Tottenham’s selection of performers is impressive, but the team’s results are poor. But it makes it more interesting to place football bets at the Premier League matches and see whether Jose Mourinho succeeds in snapping the team out of a stupor.

Bet365 bonus for fans

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Now it is even easier to bet together with the reliable bookmaker company. Here, not only the newcomers are rewarded with the bet365 bonus but long-registered users, too. Thanks to this incentive, as well as to bets, you can consistently increase your assets.

This season, in the Premier League we can observe a tense struggle for places in the Champions League zone. In the first three positions are Liverpool, Leicester and Manchester City. They feel quite comfortable there, but the most intense fight of the second part of the distance is expected for the last vacant ‘ticket’ to the coveted tournament.

One of the contenders for it is Tottenham Hotspur. After the dismissal of Mauricio Pochetino, the team has changed and became much better in scoring points. Jose Mourinho managed to improve the effectiveness on the defensive line, while the attack managed to achieve good results thanks to the individual skills of players.

At the company of Bet365 the bonus can be received even for creating an account. You can invest it in new forecasts, including matches of Tottenham.

 So far, the Spurs often earn points due to the individual skills of the leaders. But the main thing is that they are gradually gaining confidence, which was not seen case during the last months of Pochchetino’s term.

As a result, the team from the second half of the tournament table managed to get as close to the Champions League zone as possible. This is the result of both improved club results and multiple misfires by direct competitors that can’t boast of their stability.

Advantages of choosing the Betyetu Kenya

The betting company Betyetu Kenya is the choice of those users who want to not only monitor interesting confrontations, but also steadily increase their funds. Here, close attention is paid to the matches of Tottenham Hotspur. If we talk about the strong points of this team, we can highlight:

  1. Good teamwork. Many partners have been playing together for several years, and this is clearly seen in the minimum number of errors that they make on the field.
  2. High level of individual skills, which allows the club to quickly solve all issues in its own favour.
  3. Great form of the leaders.

Before the start of the season, no one doubted that the Spurs would finish in the Champions League zone. Now they’re just catching up, but there is still almost half the distance ahead to break in and gain a foothold in the top-4.

Choosing Betyetu Kenya, sports fans definitely don’t risk anything, because the proven brand creates the most attractive conditions for all its customers.

Goodbye Windows 7

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After nearly 11 years since it’s launch in New York to fix the failures of Windows Vista, Microsoft is finally dropping support for Windows 7

Windows 7 has been so popular, in fact, that it took Windows 10 nearly four years just to pass it in market share.

Even today, millions of PCs are still running Windows 7, and the operating system still runs on a massive 26% of all PCs according to data from Netmarketshare.

Microsoft spent years trying to get people to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge, but tens of millions of PCs will now be left vulnerable to exploits and security vulnerabilities.

Businesses and education Windows 7 users will be able to pay for extended security updates, but it could be a costly venture for some. Extended updates for Windows 7 Enterprise is approximately $25 per machine, and the cost doubles to $50 per device in 2021 and again to $100 in 2022.

Microsoft has been notifying Windows 7 users throughout 2019 about yesterday’s end of support, so people still stuck on the OS can’t say they haven’t been warned.

A full-screen notification will appear for Windows 7 users today (Wednesday), warning that systems are now out of support.

Microsoft is trying to convince existing users to upgrade to machines running Windows 10, a trend that caused the global PC market to have its first year of growth since 2011.

Uganda’s Parliament Set to go Digital With Development of an App

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The digital world is slowly but steadily growing in Uganda. This is visible by the recent digital interventions by many Government agencies to ease access of information and services, such as the newly launched online passport platform.

The Parliament of Uganda is also set to take technology to a whole new level after Speaker Rebecca Kadaga accepted the development of a mobile application that will enable Ugandans to follow plenary, committee proceedings and other activities of the House.

The development comes at a time when the Speaker is attending the 25th conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the commonwealth in Ottawa, Canada where Parliament of Uganda was hailed for its transparency and openness in the deliberation of issues that affect Ugandans.

“Uganda’s Parliament has done quite a lot in being open to the public with a live broadcast that has been done for over 10 years, giving all Ugandans an opportunity to follow in real-time, the goings-on in the House,” the conference convener said while commending Kadaga.

Besides the live broadcast that is shown on the national television, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), Parliament also runs the annual Parliament Week that welcomes members of the public to access Parliamentary Chambers, obtain necessary information and interact with MPs about the affairs of their constituencies. 

Parliament is now set to make a quantum leap, giving both MPs and Uganda an opportunity to contribute to the debate, submit on topics and access parliamentary resources on-the-go via a mobile application.

Although MPs already have iPads which make it easy for them to use the application, send and receive messages and also research extensively on matters they intend to contribute about on the Floor of the House, Kadaga said public input into the legislative processes in the House is still lacking.

 “I am not yet satisfied with the public input into our legislation. I asked ICT people to prepare this App, but it is taking a long time. I hope during this third meeting they will deliver because it is essential that we are able to reach out to the public on relevant discussions about the bills in committees,” Kadaga argued.


Could This Be Samsung’s Successor to The Galaxy Fold???

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Pictures of a phone resembling the Samsung Fold have leaked and every tech guru is wondering whether this might be the Fold’s successor.

Samsung just launched the nearly $2,000 Galaxy Fold in September, but there has already been plenty of speculation about it’s next foldable smartphone.

Now, we might have an idea of what the phone could look like thanks to newly leaked photos that recently surfaced on a Chinese social media website.

The photos, which were shared on Twitter by reliable leaker Ice Universe, show a phone that snaps shut similar to a flip phone.

The phone resembles Motorola’s $1,500 revival of the Razr it announced in November, which features a clamshell design with a bendable screen that folds shut vertically.

When closed, the device displays the time and other information in the bottom corner of the device’s cover. Like the new Razr, it opens vertically to reveal a single, foldable screen that bends in half near the middle. 

There isn’t any visible branding on the device indicating it’s a Samsung phone, except for the Samsung Pay app shown on the phone’s screen.

But it’s worth noting that the Ice Universe Twitter account has published credible information about upcoming Samsung devices in the past. Before the Galaxy S10 was unveiled in February, the account correctly posted the screen sizes of all four variants of Samsung’s latest flagship device

It’s also not the first time reports have indicated that Samsung is already working on its successor to the Galaxy Fold. Back in March, Bloomberg reported that Samsung has been working on two new foldable phones: one that folds vertically like the one pictured in the supposed leak, and another that folds out similar to Huawei’s Mate X. 

Safe Boda Launches Food Segment as Part of New Update

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SafeBoda has today launched SafeBoda Food where customers will be able to order for food via the app, from a wide number of vendors and restaurants and as a promo, have it delivered for free.

With this update, SafeBoda is mainly focusing on local and street food such as katogo, and rolex and hence SafeBoda Food is mainly made up of local restaurants.

The company argues that SafeBoda Food is everyday food that is affordable by the average Ugandan.

Although, it looks like a Jumia food replica, SafeBoda food is offering customers an opportunity to even pay within the app with cashless. Also the aspect of local and street food makes it step away from the usual high end restaurants that are on Jumia Food.

The Update is however only active on Android currently, but expected to be rolled out to IOS soon. Update your app now, and grab a bite.

Uber’s Safety Report Pins Nearly 500 Rapes in 2 Years, Millions Fail Background Checks

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By cnet

After dozens of allegations of sexual assaults committed by its drivers, Uber promised in May 2018 to publish a “safety transparency report.” The idea was to release data on the number of alleged assaults that occur during its rides in the US. Now, a year and a half later, Uber has finalized that report

In its 84-page report, Uber said 99.9% of its rides ended without any safety reports and that the remaining 0.1% mostly detailed minor safety issues, like harsh braking. That leaves 0.0003% of rides that had “critical safety” incidents. 

Of those critical incidents, there were 464 rapes in 2017 and 2018 combined. In 2018 alone, there were 235 rapes, which averages out to four per week. Over the course of the two years, there were more than 5,500 other incidents of sexual assault ranging from unwanted kissing to attempted rape. The most common sexual assault was groping, with 1,440 reports in 2017 and 1,560 reports in 2018.

“Voluntarily publishing a report that discusses these difficult safety issues is not easy,” Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer, wrote in a blog post Thursday. “Most companies don’t talk about issues like sexual violence because doing so risks inviting negative headlines and public criticism. But we feel it’s time for a new approach.”

Drivers were also victims of alleged attacks 45% of the time, according to the report. But in the case of alleged rape, riders were the victims 92% of the time. Uber also reported 19 non-sexual fatal assaults over the two-year period. 

Each of those incidents represents an individual who has undergone a horrific trauma,” West told NBC News in an interview. “But I’m not surprised by those numbers. And I’m not surprised because sexual violence is just much more pervasive in society than I think most people realize.”

Hundreds of passengers and drivers have come forward over the past few years alleging sexual assault during rides. Several lawsuits have been brought against Uber by people saying they were raped, kidnapped and groped by the service’s drivers. Similar allegations have been made against Uber’s rival Lyft, which has been sued by at least 56 women since August alleging sexual assault by its drivers.

Lyft also pledged in May 2018 to publish a safety report, but it’s unclear when that will be released. A company spokeswoman said it’s still committed to creating a report. “It is Lyft’s goal to make the US ridesharing industry the safest form of transportation for everyone,” she said.

In its report, Uber said more than 1 million prospective drivers didn’t pass its background checks in 2017 and 2018. And since it launched its continuous background checks in 2018, more than 40,000 drivers have been removed from the app. Some advocates for victims say Uber could still do more by requiring its drivers to undergo fingerprint background checks, something the company has long resisted.

Several advocacy organizations applauded Uber on Thursday for releasing this data. Those organizations include the National Network to End Domestic Violence, RALIANCE, the National Crime Prevention Council, It’s On Us, NO MORE, Jane Doe Inc., RAINN and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

“As an advocate who has been working in the movement to end sexual violence for the past 20 years, I welcome this unprecedented report,” Karen Baker, CEO of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, said in an email. “By releasing this data publicly, Uber is confronting these challenging issues head-on rather than shying away from or minimizing the numbers.” 

Uganda Scoops 94th Position in Mobile Video Streaming Experience

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According to a report from OpenSignal, Uganda has been ranked 94th in terms of mobile video experience out of the 100 countries surveyed. New apps continue to launch on mobile first —most recently TikTok—while video has become a part of the fabric of social networks that started out distributing just text and photos: on Facebook and Instagram, now watch video on their smartphones.

Mobile is now a central part of multiscreen TV streaming services because smartphone screens are larger than ever, and everyone has a phone with them at all times to enjoy mobile video experience. Netflix has reported that 25% of total streaming is happening on mobile networks.

However, consumers often have to use streaming apps’ offline functions to download programs or movies ahead of time to sidestep potential issues with the cellular connection. But having to remember to download a mobile video onto a smartphone is inconvenient for consumers because it’s easy to forget to download a movie ahead of time.

Mobile video traffic is a headache for engineering teams

Wireless operators understand that mobile video is of critical importance to their business. Carrier technical teams know that video makes up the vast majority of the data traffic on their networks and telecom vendors forecast video data traffic will continue to rise.

Telecom equipment supplier Ericsson forecasts video will rise from 60% of mobile data traffic in 2018 to nearly three quarters by 2024. The technical challenges of this enormous amount of data traffic mean many operators treat video differently than other kinds of data traffic to ensure video does not overwhelm everything and cause the experience of other activities like voice calling, gaming, or even web browsing to suffer.

Ads are now playing on mobile

Full-screen mobile video ads now create vital revenues that support many otherwise free apps. The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has quantified the scale of mobile video advertising: 62% of total moving ad starts are happening on mobile; similarly, 63% of total video ad revenue is from mobilephones as part of an online video ad market that grew 37% between 2017 and 2018 to reach $16.3bn. Upshot, it’s not only consumers, media companies and wireless carriers that care about this experience but mobile video is also increasingly important for advertisers.

The Global rankings

Opensignal’s survey was measured based on the average video experience of users on 3G and 4G networks for each operator. Their methodology involved measuring real-world video streams and uses an ITU-based approach for determining video quality. The metric calculation takes picture quality, video loading time and stall rate into account. The result was a report based on video experience on a scale of 0-100. Countries like Norway, Denmark and Austria are at the top five of the survey in terms of having the best quality of the mobile video experience scoring between 75.9 – 78.5.

Uganda ranked at 94th position scoring 37.2% falling into the poor mobile video category according to OpenSignal. The Uganda internet market is dominated by mobile internet. The mobile internet subscription now stands at 14,360,847 up from 13,569,354 reflecting a growth of 5.8%. The total market (this includes both Over the Top OTT and web access) internet penetration now stands at 37%.

Iraq, Ethiopia, Libya were among the countries at the bottom of the list scoring as low as 19.3% in terms of mobile video experience. The highest-ranked African country is SouthAfrica, which falls into the Good category.

It should be noted that the differences in the results for Download Speed Experience and mobile video experience are often because of the technologies that wireless operators routinely deploy to manage the vast quantity of data traffic which mobile video viewing creates. In short, streaming is not treated the same by wireless operator networks as a file download test and this shows through these analytics results.

Credit: Roger Bambino from TechJaja

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