2007年-世界发展银行全球_Output-Based_Aid_in_Uganda___Bringing_Communication_Services_to_Rural_Areas_4页_409kb

OBA Approaches in Uganda: Bringing Communication Services to Rural Areas

Core Content

The document outlines the implementation of Output-Based Aid (OBA) in Uganda as part of the Energy for Rural Transformation Project, aimed at expanding access to telecommunications and internet services in rural areas. The project was designed to promote sustainable and commercially viable delivery of communication services in regions where market forces alone could not ensure coverage.

Main Objectives

The OBA project had three main components:

• Voice Telephony: Providing at least one public telephone per 2,500 inhabitants (approximately 3 km apart) across the country.
• Internet Access: Establishing broadband Internet Points of Presence (POPs) in 32 district capitals, offering local-rate dial-up and dedicated access.
• Rural Telecenters: Setting up multipurpose telecenters at "vanguard institutions" such as schools and hospitals, outside district capitals.

Key Information

Background

• In 1999, Uganda had a national teledensity of ~1 phone per 100 inhabitants, but rural areas were underserved.
• Only 380 of 920 subcounties had telephone service by 2001.
• Internet services were limited to Kampala.

Project Design

• The ICT component was initially estimated at US$5.5 million, later increased to US$12 million.
• Subsidy structure: US$10.5 million from the IDA credit and the rest from government counterpart funds.
• The Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) was established in 1997 to finance the OBA project, with a universal service levy (1% of gross revenues) as its primary funding source.

Bidding Process

• The bidding process was open, transparent, and competitive, following World Bank guidelines.
• Three regions (A, B, and C) were grouped for the telephony component, with the lowest subsidy request winning the bid.
• Internet POPs and telecenters were bid individually.
• Celtel did not submit a bid, while UTL was considered technically nonresponsive.

Subsidy Payments

• The subsidy was paid in installments based on milestones:
  • Service agreement signed (10%)
  • 50% of public access objectives met (30%)
  • Remaining 50% of public access objectives met (30%)
  • Private access objectives met (20%)
  • 1 year of continuous service operation (10%)
• Performance bonds were required and reduced proportionally with subsidy payments.

Outcomes

• Telephony:
  • Total project costs: ~US$11.7 million
  • Total subsidy awarded: US$5.2 million
  • Private investment: ~55% of total costs
  • Savings: ~38% compared to the original subsidy estimate
  • Regions A and C were completed by December 2006; Region B was completed in June 2006 after a rebid.
• Internet POPs:
  • 32 district capitals targeted
  • Total subsidy awarded: US$980,000
  • MTN and UTL received 22 and 10 POPs, respectively
  • Subsidy used ~73% of the maximum available

Sustainability

• OBA is designed to be sustainable and replicable.
• Operators are expected to cover operating and maintenance costs through user fees.
• Tax implications of subsidies were identified and addressed, with the possibility of reimbursement if taxes are not waived.

Aid Effectiveness

• The OBA project was more cost-effective than traditional methods:
  • Subsidy per public pay phone: ~US$3,700, lower than similar projects in Nepal and Latin America.
  • Cost comparison: A hypothetical non-OBA project would cost ~3 times more.
• The competitive bidding process led to significant savings in subsidy allocation.

Conclusions

The OBA approach in Uganda has proven to be an effective tool for promoting private investment in rural telecommunications. It enabled the coverage of more communities at a lower cost compared to traditional funding methods, demonstrating the potential of OBA in achieving universal access to communication services in developing countries.

Additional Notes

• The rural telecenter component is currently being redesigned, with the goal of deploying 20 small centers instead of 7 large ones.
• The project was managed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and supported by the World Bank.
• The Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) is the platform for sharing such experiences and innovations.