Sangala Communication Strategies

General
1

We are developing a network of weather stations for the Bududa district of Uganda. We are currently planning to use LoRa (long-range low-power) technology to transmit information from the weather stations to a central hub. The LoRa transceivers support two-way communications, so the network could also be used to transmit information back to the weather station sites. See the “Weather Station” strand for more information about these plans and initial pilot implementation and testing:

John Wanda suggests alternatives to use of LoRa technology for transmission of weather data.

From: John Wanda john@reachforuganda.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 11:31 PM

I wanted to share some current channels that can be considered alternatives. According to the Uganda 2024 National Census, Bududa has 75,751 households. These households receive vital information mostly in these manners:

- Radio - 55% (41,688)

- Word of mouth - 23% (17,688)

- Phones - 14% (10,672)

If for instance, we want to communicate with parents, we tell students who take messages to their parents, or make announcements on community radios. We also speak at public events (churches, funerals, weddings, etc) when we need to communicate messages.

Considering the low level of connectivity in Bududa, electronic information, especially anything needing transmission lines, would be difficult to transmit. But we can up the usage of text messages as many people who receive such messages can share with others who don’t have.

John Wanda

Co-Founder, Director and Chief Uganda Liaison
REACH for Uganda

As an additional consideration, Joyce Wanda recommends that technologies that require permission or licensing from the government of Uganda be avoided.

From: Joyce Wanda joyce@reachforuganda.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 9:50 AM

I know the Uganda government is curious about anything involving technology, data collection and its use. I hope this would not involve us getting permission from the government of Uganda to implement the use of equipment.

Joyce

These issues are explored in the posts in this strand that follow.

2

John’s query about exploration of a range of technologies for transmission of weather data on the data network raises an important question. It is possible to explore multiple communication technologies and strategies in parallel. The posts that follow explore possible directions and provide a basis for on-going conversations about this topic.

3

Radio

Bududa has 75,751 households. Over half of these households (55 %) receive information via radio.

The widespread access to radio makes this an attractive option for communications. In the U.S., any non-profit entity can operate a low-power radio station without a license. These stations are limited to a maximum of 100 watts effective radiated power (ERP). Consequently, it is common for high schools and colleges in the U.S. to operate low power radio stations run by students. This would be an attractive option for Hawthorn-Scribner High School since it would meet a community need and give students practical experience.

However, Uganda requires a license for virtually all radio transmissions, including low-power stations.

The Legal Baseline

Under the Uganda Communications Act 2013, a person shall not, without a licence issued by the Commission, establish or use any radio station or provide radio communication services, or manufacture, possess, install, connect, or operate any radio communications apparatus. This is a broad prohibition with very few exceptions.

FM Broadcasting Specifically

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is mandated under Section 5 of the Uganda Communications Act 2013 to monitor, inspect, licence, supervise, control, and regulate communication services, which includes FM radio broadcasting services. Both commercial and non-commercial FM stations require a broadcast licence plus a Radio Frequency Spectrum Authorisation (RFSA).

Consequently, given Joyce’s recommendation to avoid technologies that require a government license, this option is less appealing in Uganda than in the U.S. However, if the high school could partner with an existing community-based radio station that already has a license, this might be a worthwhile direction.

4

Cell Phone

Bududa has 75,751 households. Approximately 14% of these households (10,672) receive information via cell phone.

Possible constraints are related to data rates, which can be high for cell service in Uganda, and coverage.

Uganda data costs

The ITU calculates a monthly mobile phone budget of about $6.80 for Uganda in 2025 — covering 140 minutes, 20 texts, and 5 GB of data. Crucially, that $6.80 represents about 8% of average per-capita income — meaning data is expensive relative to local wages. Airtel’s default pay-as-you-go data rate is UGX 0.75 per KB works out to roughly $200 per GB at current exchange rates if buying data by the kilobyte without a bundle. Bundle pricing is far better but still costly relative to incomes.

Bududa coverage.

Coverage in Bududa is constrained by the mountainous terrain. , About 74% of Uganda’s population lives in rural areas — well above the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 54% — making it particularly challenging for carriers to cover all parts of the country. Consequently, Bududa currently has gaps in its coverage.

However, SMS is a two-way transmission technology so it could potentially be used to transmit data from weather stations in regions where coverage is available and also send predictive weather information back to weather station sites.

5

LoRa (long range low power) Technology

The regulatory status of LoRa/sub-GHz unlicensed operation in Uganda is as follows:

The 868 MHz Band Is License-Exempt for LoRa/IoT

The UCC has designated the 863–870 MHz band as license-exempt for ISM use, explicitly covering IoT-based technologies and services including smart systems — and the document specifically names LoRa (Long Range) as a recognized technology in this band. Ucc

Key Technical Constraints

Operations in this band must stay within the 863–870 MHz spectrum block. The general power limit is 25 mW ERP (about 14 dBm), with duty cycle restrictions of ≤0.1% for most sub-bands, or up to 1% in the 865–868 MHz range with Listen Before Talk (LBT). Ucc Standard LoRaWAN gateways and end nodes typically comply with these parameters.

Important Conditions

License-exempt does not mean entirely unregulated. Three requirements still apply: (1) gateways or base stations must be registered with UCC; (2) all equipment must receive UCC type approval in accordance with type approval regulations; and (3) if the band is used to provide communications services to the public, an operating license from UCC is still required. Ucc

Bottom Line for WeatherScope

The WeatherScope sensor network — where LoRa end nodes transmit weather data to local gateways — fits squarely within the license-exempt ISM framework, provided that use:

  1. Keeps transmit power at or below 25 mW ERP

  2. Stays within the 863–870 MHz band (standard for LoRaWAN in Region 1/Africa)

  3. Registers any gateways with UCC

  4. Use type-approved equipment (standard commercial LoRa hardware from Semtech-based modules is generally compliant)

This is essentially the same regulatory model as Europe’s LoRa framework, which makes sense since Uganda follows ITU Region 1 allocations.

An important consideration is operations cost. In contrast to other technologies such as WiFi or Cell service, there is no transmission cost or associated data rates once the weather stations with LoRa transceivers and associated relays are established. Since Rich Nguyen has already successfully piloted use of LoRa network technology through FloodWatch in Vietnam, as a practical matter we have access to far more access to technical expertise using this technology than alternative communication technologies with which we have no experience.

6

Ham Radio

Ham radio is worth considering because of the following strengths:

Strengths of Ham Radio

  • Long-range capability without cell infrastructure

  • Can carry both voice (broadcasts to farmers) and digital data (weather telemetry via protocols like APRS or Winlink)

  • Very low operating cost once equipment is in place

  • Works well in mountainous terrain where cell signals struggle

However, a barrier to use of ham radio is there is no path to acquisition of a ham radio license in Uganda.

Uganda has no domestic ham licensing path

There is no process under Uganda law for a Ugandan resident to get an amateur radio license. One must be licensed in another country and then submit an application using that license as the path to one in Uganda. Ham Radio World

This is a real obstacle for training local Bududa students or community members as ham operators — they can’t simply study and take a test in Uganda the way they could in the U.S.

Lack of a path to acquiring a ham radio license in Uganda is unfortunate because it has potential uses that are applicable.

Digital ham radio for data For the sensor-to-hub data transmission use case specifically, protocols like Winlink (email over radio) or APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) are used globally for exactly this kind of low-bandwidth data relay — weather stations included.

One possible workaround: Under U.S. law, someone in Uganda can test over the internet by volunteer examiners. It’s a convoluted process but has been done multiple times Ham Radio World — essentially, a Ugandan resident takes the U.S. FCC exam remotely, gets a U.S. license, and then applies to UCC using that as the basis for a Ugandan license.

There is an annual licensing fee of $63 (U.S. dollars) for a U.S. license, which may also make this strategy less practical.