Ugandans make 2.6 billion mobile money transactions in 3 months

• Mobile spending: Average monthly expenditure rose from Shs10,932 to Shs15,349.

• Data: Monthly data spending jumped to Shs10,841 as internet consumption increased.

• Mobile money: Transactions reached 2.55 billion, with 37.8 million active accounts.

• Telecom revenue: Sector earnings climbed to Shs1.73 trillion in the second quarter.

Ugandans are spending more on mobile services as rising internet use and mobile money transactions reshape how people communicate and pay for everyday needs, according to the Uganda Communications Commission’s second-quarter 2026 Market Performance Report.

The report shows that average monthly spending on mobile services rose to Shs15,349 between April and June, up from Shs10,932 in the first quarter.

Data drove much of the increase.

Average monthly spending on mobile data climbed from Shs6,118 to Shs10,841 within three months. The increase came despite a fall in the effective cost of a gigabyte, suggesting subscribers are using much more data rather than paying higher prices for each unit.

Spending on voice calls and text messages fell slightly as more Ugandans turned to internet-based applications for communication.

Mobile money use also continued to expand.

Ugandans made 2.55 billion mobile money transactions between April and June, compared with 2.37 billion in the first quarter.

Registered mobile money subscriptions reached 59.5 million. Of these, 37.8 million accounts had made a transaction within the previous 90 days.

The average mobile money transaction was worth Shs102,580, up from Shs100,690 in the first quarter.

The surge in digital activity also lifted telecom industry earnings.

Gross telecom revenue reached Shs1.73 trillion during the second quarter, up from Shs1.60 trillion in the first three months of the year. It was the sector’s highest quarterly revenue in the previous four quarters.

The increase also translated into higher regulatory payments.

MTN Uganda remitted Shs54.27 billion to UCC in June, while Airtel Uganda paid Shs42.9 billion in May. The payments represented the statutory two per cent levy on gross annual revenue.

The money supports the Uganda Communications Universal Service and Access Fund, which finances projects aimed at expanding communication services, particularly in underserved areas.

For ordinary users, the figures underline how deeply phones have become tied to daily spending. Mobile money now handles billions of transactions, while growing demand for internet services is taking a bigger share of household communication budgets.