Uganda Telecom has sent a strong statement to the market of its intention to reclaim its premier position in the telecom industry with the launch of a new and exciting product named Uswitch.

The telecom’s Chief Operations Officer Stanley Henning said that the launch of the new product is a clear message to all skeptics who have been spreading speculation and rooting for its closure, that we are here and we are here to stay.

“We have been quiet for a while because of shareholder problems, and some people started spreading rumours that we were closing. Contrary to that, Uganda telecom is here to stay. Government has handed back both board and management rights to our major shareholder LAP GreenN/UCOM, which now gives us control of our operations,” Henning explained.

“ The launch of this new product therefore is a clear statement to the market that we are back and that we are now going to grow from strength to strength to become the premier telecom provider in this market,” Henning explained.

U Switch is a product that allows customers unlimited calls to all UTL numbers all day for just shs750/- All a customer has to do in order to enjoy the offer is to dial *165# on their phone and they will receive a confirmation message that Uswicth has been activated. Alternatively, they can send a message with key word ‘USwitch’ to 165 and still be activated.

The launch of Uswitch also signifies the return to the media after one year of no advertising because of a ban from the Uganda Media Owners Association (UMOA).

“We would like to say a sincere thank you to our customers who stood by us in this period. Uswitch is one of the ways in which we would like to thank them, by easing the cost of communication for them. This is just the first of many products that we intend to rollout out during this year. Our customers should expect the very best in service and products that they had come to expect of us,” Henning said.

Uganda telecom is one of the key players in the communications industry in Uganda, providing data, voice and fixed telephony. As a pioneer player in the market, the company has the largest fixed line infrastructure in the market, and is also the leading ISP in the market.

In a separate statement recently, the board chairman LAP GreenN/UCOM, the 69% shareholder in the company stated that regaining of board and management control now gives the company authority to make rapid decisions in its investment and management decisions.

“We will continue our investments into UTL and during 2012 will take the company to new levels of service and quality for our customers throughout Uganda.”

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About Uganda Telecom

Uganda Telecom is Uganda’s leading telecommunications innovator. Uganda Telecom provides voice and data communication solutions that include fixed telephony, mobile telephony, ISP and data communications, Uganda Telecom launched the Next Generation Network that delivers all voice, data and even video services over one network over IP. Uganda Telecom has the largest fixed line network and is also the largest ISP in the country. Uganda Telecom has the only 3G network in Uganda and offers video telephony, high speed internet, video and audio streaming, live television and MMS. Uganda Telecom also provides BlackBerry© services. For more information, visit Uganda Telecom on the Internet: http://www.utl.co.ug

Or contact:

Emmy Olaki,                                                                       

Marketing Communications Officer

Uganda Telecom,                                                                     

P.O. Box 7171, Kampala,                                                         

0414 333781                                                                          

Emmy.olaki@utl.co.ug