Lycamobile gets National Operator license also knows as an NTO granted by UCC at an event on the 11th of May making the company the third national operator in Uganda. Following the announcement made by the Uganda Communications Commission, Lycamobile, a current favourite for many today due to its affordable rates, reached a significant milestone this week.
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Lycamobile gets National Operator License making it third national operator
MTN and Airtel are only the other two telecommunication companies that have been granted this license in Uganda, Lycamobile becomes the third. Lycamobile, whose parent company Tangerine Limited has operated in Uganda since 2008, got the National Telecommunication Operator (NTO) license on March 24, 2021.
During an event held at the UCC Head Office on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, Ag. Executive Director Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo said the Commission was proud of the milestone Lycamobile had attained and pledged support from the regulator.
An NTO license is granted to an operator that demonstrates financial and technical capacity to establish and operate a telecommunications network spanning across the entire geographical boundary of Uganda. This simply means Lycamobile should have at least 90% coverage in Uganda within the first 5 years of receiving the license.
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Lycamobile gets National Operator License that will allow it to establish and provide both telecommunication infrastructure and services across the entire country. The NTO license shall be for 20 (twenty) years, renewable under the Uganda Communications Act 2013.
Telecom operators were granted permission to apply for license categories of their choice as long as they met the respective licensing requirements. This directive follows the approval of a new licensing framework that was approved in June 2020.
Accordingly, Lycamobile applied for the NTO license, which was granted after due evaluation of their application by the Commission.
Features of the NTO license granted to Lycamobile
- Under the NTO License, Lycamobile, like all other NTOs, is expected to extend its network coverage to 90% of Uganda’s geographical boundary within five years of getting the license.
- Lycamobile is also expected to list a minimum of 20% of its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange in accordance with the listing rules and guidelines set by the Capital Markets Authority and the Uganda Securities Exchange.
At the event on Tuesday, the Lycamobile Uganda CEO Vinay Choudary said the company was now set to grow and expand. Accompanied by Chief Operations Manager for Africa Jegajeevan Rajathurai and Chief Technical Officer Kobel Humphrey, Mr Choudary added that Lycamobile is committed and here to stay.
The UCC ED, who was accompanied by the Head Legal Abdul-Sallam Waiswa, and Head Public and Internations Relations Ibrahim Bbossa, said the Commission is confident that the entry of Lycamobile into the NTO market will further improve competitiveness in the sector and ultimately benefit the Ugandan consumer.
The news thrilled the customers too as they shared congratulatory messages on social media.
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