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From: Ugnews@mukla.gn.apc.org To: sghuter@nsrc.org Date: Tue, 12 Mar 96 21:06:21 +0000 > For the NSRC database, could you please send an update about the > current state of networking in UG, recent developments, etc. ? How many > sites are now fully connected to the Internet ? And at this stage, who > are the primary access provider(s) ? Quite a bit has happened since my last update. It now estimated that over 500 users have direct Internet access in Uganda and it growing fast! The main providers are:- Starlight Communication (U) Limited <http://www.starcom.co.ug> has been in operation for 2 months. With appox. 150 users on full IP over a 64 KB Vsat link via Norway then MArine cable to Digex in New York. Starcom has also given acess to Makerere University on a 9.6KB link -- really Mukla via Vsat to the Norwegian University Network UNINET. Mukla is of course the university network I run. In in the midst of a transistion with most of our users still on Fido but a great many switching over to full IP. Our mukla users presently dial into the the Starcom server but will switch over as soon as our radio link is operational hopefully within the next couple of weeks. Mukla full IP users are now 100 with another 200 still on dialup on either dialup fido or uucp. We will maintain the fido an uucp systems in parallel with IP. The donation from Starcom is restricted for academic and research users. We however will be running a joint venture to expand usage for users outside the Kampala area to other parts of Uganda on a revenue/cost sharing basis. Mukla has over 70 users in other parts of Uganda and the in rest of the Eastern Africa region. Infomail (U) Ltd <http://www.imul.com> Infomail setup shop over six months ago and has now an estimated user base of 250 full IP users almost all in the Kampala area. Through a very aggressive advertising campaign, Infomail has fast expanded expecially among the expartriate individual users. TransMail (U) Ltd is still a fido system off GreenNet in London. It has appox. 50 users mainly in the business community. HealthNet is run by SatelLife Uganda, a Non Governmental Organisation catering for Health professionals. It is base at the Makerere University Medical School - Mulago and is supported by SatelLife Inc. of Boston USA <http://www.healthnet.org>. The protocol used is fido but will definately soon benefit from the developments at Mukla being located at the university. Healthnet has also an extensive expanison programme to the country side to link all district hospitals. Collaboration with Starcom via Mukla is likely in all its expansion. User base stands at 60 with another 15 at a satellite node in Entebbe. A few healthnet users are IP either on Starcom or Infomail. Very little is known about Infoma (U) Ltd. It is a system serving very few users and largely on the wane. There is a radio based system mainly run by a missionary group call Mission Aviation Fellowshop (MAF). Very little is know about their user base. These are really the most recent developments. Please let me know if you need any more info. All the best. -- Charles Musisi
