Avanti–UNHCR Solar Satellite Connectivity for Refugee Settlements in Northern Uganda

Uganda hosts more refugees than any other African country — over 1.6 million as of 2024, mostly from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo — sheltered in remote, off-grid settlements with little pre-existing electricity or telecom infrastructure. Bidi Bidi settlement alone, in Yumbe District, houses close to 200,000 refugees.

Starting with a pledge in December 2019, satellite operator Avanti Communications and UNHCR jointly funded solar-powered satellite terminals, connectivity equipment, laptops, tablets, bandwidth and ongoing maintenance at seven connectivity sites across settlements including Bidi Bidi, Palabek, Imvepi, Kiryandongo, Adjumani and Rhino Camp.

Independent reporting (GSMA, Space in Africa) documents that the connectivity sites see more than 260 refugees and children visiting daily to use free internet for educational and online-learning purposes, and that the programme includes built-in multi-year maintenance and customer support rather than being a one-off donation.

The physical rollout was complemented by a policy change: in 2019 the GSMA's Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation programme worked with UNHCR and the Government of Uganda to ease SIM-registration requirements for refugees, making it easier for connected refugees to actually access mobile services.

Caution: coverage reaches only seven fixed sites within a settlement network hosting well over a million refugees, so the programme addresses a narrow slice of overall demand, and no independent, refugee-led evaluation of educational outcomes was found in public reporting.

Read the full analysis: https://www.avanti.space/impact/social-impact/