The Role of Regulation in the development of the postal sector in Uganda A presentation to the conference on Leveraging of ICTs in the transformation of the Postal and Courier sector in East Africa 26 th February 2015, Nairobi - Kenya James T. Kafeero, Head / Postal Regulation Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

Outline of presentation The Role of Government Broad functions of UCC Specific Roles of UCC Examples of regulatory interventions UCC Planned activities for the sector Conclusion

The Role of Government Include the postal sub-sector in National Development Programmes Formulate appropriate policies to guide the sector Encourage appropriate reforms to develop the sector Promote and conduct research within the sector Create an enabling environment for inflow of Development Finance into the sub-sector

Broad functions of UCC under the Uganda Communications Act 2013  Licensing of communication services,  Enforcement of compliance to licence conditions  Administration of scarce resources (e.g. postcodes)  Tariff control (e.g. Price Caps) for regulated services  Standards setting and QoS control in the sector  Promotion of Research and Development in the sector  Facilitation of Universal Access to postal services  Promotion and facilitation of competition in the sector  Promotion of capacity building in the sector

Specific Roles of UCC Ensure monitoring and implementation of Government policy directives Ensure compliance by operators to provisions of international conventions Advise the Government on policy matters about postal sub-sector Implement sub-sector policies through the licensing and monitoring of postal operators

Specific Roles of UCC cont. Ensure fulfillment of USO by licensing a public operator and administering the RCDF Ensure fair competition in the sub-sector through legislation, regulation and licensing Coordinate and adopt Uganda’s position for the sector at international fora

The Roles of UCC cont: QoS assurance via regulatory attention to: Service accessibility Customer satisfaction and advocacy (with emphasis on liability and inquiries handling) Speed and reliability Security (of mail, operational staff and customers)

Some examples of regulatory interventions in Uganda Through the Rural Communications Development Fund, UCC has so far; Supported the reopening of 25 Post Offices in the ‘Expansion of the Postal Network’ Project Established 40 Postal Telecenters in selected Post Offices Availed the funds for the Pilot Phase of the on-going National Postcode and Addressing Project

UCC planned activities Conduct studies in the following areas of the postal/courier market in Uganda:  Approaches to Universal Postal Services provision  Review of Liability Issues in the Postal/Courier industry  Market power definition and assessment in the postal/courier sector  Costing of postal services Step up stakeholder engagements (hold at least one Postal/Courier Stakeholders’ meeting in a year)

UCC planned activities cont. Acquire an Automated Mail Quality measurement System (AMQMS) Roll out the National Postcode & Addressing System after the Pilot Phase Support the development of a Postal/Courier Curriculum at the Uganda Institute of Communications Technology

Conclusion Among others, the Postal Regulator;-  Ensures implementation of government policy in the sector,  Acts as a referee to ensure fair play by managing competition,  Protects consumer interests through advocacy, monitoring operations and enforcing compliance,  Ensures quality through setting, measuring and publishing standards.  Can empower operators through capacity building The regulatory function is about maintaining order and facilitating development in the sector

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