Empirical Assessment of the Internet Ecosystem of Uganda

Abstract

Currently in the Digital age, the Internet has become an indispensable tool for individuals, businesses, and governments worldwide. In Uganda, its penetration stands at 29.1 percent of the total population as of December 2022. However, challenges such as low accessibility, high cost and poor quality of service still plague this ecosystem. There is need to address these issues in order maximise the brim- ful benefits of effectiveness and efficiency. This project aimed to evaluate the Uganda Internet ecosystem using a range of Internet measure- ment tools and techniques with focus on the NCC RIPE Atlas probes. The analysis was focused on the Domain Name System (DNS) and other related measurements. The Domain Name System (DNS) plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between devices on the Internet. By focus- ing on DNS, this research sought to identify potential areas for improvement in the overall ecosystem. Subsequently, infrastructure such as core networks, access networks, and data centers can provide ad- ditional insights in this particular subject matter. Our investigation does not entail business models, policies, and regulations of ISPs and IXPs in Uganda. The results indicate an average of 10.33ms response time per 1 percent packet loss through selected Ugandan ISPs with an average of 100 prefix records at the UIXP .The outcomes of this project can contribute to identifying areas for improvement within the Internet ecosystem. By shedding light on the performance and behavior of the Internet in Uganda, policymakers and stakeholders can gain valuable insights for the development of policies and solutions aimed at enhancing the quality of experience for Internet users across the country.