Uganda Telecommunications Limited and Xinlan, a Chinese manufacturer, have gone into partnership to manufacture mobile handset phones in Uganda using the locally available raw materials like Coltrane.
The partnership between the 2 companies will also explore avenues into research, development in communication on top of manufacturing customized mobile phones.
Xinlan Company manufactures mobile phone sets such as those branded Huawei and Samsang.
The venture was disclosed yesterday before President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe during a meeting with Uganda Telecommunications (UTL) official Mr. Bemanya Twebaze, where a Cellular Mobile Phone handset, to be locally manufactured in Uganda in the near future, was exhibited. State Minister for Investment, Hon. Evelyn Anite attended the meeting.
President Museveni reiterated the need for UTL management to revamp its services through strategic and profitable channels.
Meanwhile, a simmering feud between UTL and National Information and Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U)has erupted into a fight over a multi-billion government Internet deal after the former asked the latter to stop connecting public offices, including districts media reports said on Wednesday.
After losing the deal to UTL, NITA-U officials are fighting back in the face of a presidential directive on the matter.
They have apparently refused to surrender the Internet deal and opted to shrug off strict orders in President Museveni’s January 9 letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda.
The reference to talks between UTL and NITA-U has, however, been ‘rubbished’ by sources in the Prime Minister’s Office who said such discussions, attempt to ‘re-write’ the presidential directive, requiring all ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) to switch to UTL network for Internet and other services.
In his January 9 letter, Mr Museveni wrote off UTL debts to a tune of Shs200b and ordered all government institutions to procure all Internet and other related services from UTL.
The President said this will save the company from what he called a group of corrupt officials who ‘sucked’ UTL dry through self-enrichment with huge salaries and had plotted to devalue its assets worth Shs148 billion.
On April 13, Investment minister Evelyn Anite wrote to 600 MDAs and clarified that 166 out of 218 agencies contacted by UTL had complied with the directive.
She gave those that had not complied up to the end of this month to switch to the UTL network.
Ms Anite has also written to the Secretary to Treasury to stop sending Internet budget to NITA-U since most of the MDAs have shifted to UTL.
NITA-U is reluctant to give away the deal.
