Uganda Telecommunications Ltd (UTL)—the fixed-line incumbent, which operates the Mango GSM network—has announced in a press release that it has launched Uganda’s first solar-powered mobile phone. Branded as “Kasana”, the handset costs 75,000 Ugandan shillings (US$ 38.4) and is reportedly capable of 12 hours of talk time for one hour of exposure to the sun. Moreover, the phone would remain fully charged if it is continues to be exposed to the sun.
This follows Kenyan operator Safaricom's launch of a solar-charged mobile handset, branded "Simu ya Solar", which sells for 2,999 Kenyan shillings. In a statement, UTL said that the Ugandan regulator puts mobile telephony penetration at only 30%, more than 80% of whom live in rural areas, with just 10% with access to electricity grid power. This means that people without ready access to electricity would have to walk long distances to charge their handsets at the nearest power outlet, often at a trading centre that is miles away.
