The vice president of Uganda, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, has urged the International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO) to lower satellite connection fees to help developing nations boost internet usage rates in these countries' rural areas.

Ssekandi has made the call amid a burgeoning Ugandan Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, which has reportedly added $680 million to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“One of the concerns of the users of satellite communications is the high cost of bandwidth,” he said.

"We believe the expansion of the broadband satellite service will generate greater economic growth in developing countries by being an enabler for e-service like e-governance, e-commerce, e-medicine and residential internet access among others," said Ssekandi.