Read this article on the web at: www.cellular-news.com/story/16423.php
MTN Uganda has unveiled a modified bicycle payphone concept, the publiCom Quad Bike. The publiCom Quad Bike is a payphone concept where a payphone is mounted on a four-wheel bicycle. MTN publiCom also has existing tricycle payphones operational in the Kampala area.
While addressing a press conference at MTN publiCom headquarters in Bukoto, the Chief Executive Officer, Francois du Plessis, explained that the publiCom Quad Bike is an example of convergence which is a vital ingredient of socioeconomic activities today. With the publiCom Quad Bike, the payphone attendants are able to move from one place to another, making telephony services even more accessible.
“People require communication that is accessible and this is achieved with the publiCom Quad Bike. The publiCom Quad Bike essentially brings communication to your doorstep, for no extra cost. This publiCom Quad Bike is mainly aimed at operating in the under served upcountry regions,” he explained.
The publiCom Quad Bike is a new innovation from MTN publiCom to complement the existing Payphone systems which continue to provide convenience, confidentiality and longer call duration per unit.
4 Comments
Janantha
Very interesting and a practical concept. Hope other countries which are in need easy communication access adopt this sort of a model. The only problem should be the cost factor. As the bikes may need fuel to run, per call charge will have an extra overhead added to it(Im only guessing this) .The ratio of GSM charges/resource charge should be a low one(a value less than 1 should be ideal) for greater utilization.
janantha
I made a minor error in the comment above..It should be resource charge/ GSM charge ratio. This should be lower.
Francois du Plessis
I would like to clarify that the quad bike concerned is not a motor bike but is in fact a pedal bike. Francois du Plessis, CEO, MTN publiCom, Uganda.
GSM payphone
GSM payphone, Dual SIM FCT, Automatic Mobile recharge System, MARS Recharge system.
Rethinking Sri Lanka’s Data Centre Hub Ambition
The idea of turning Sri Lanka into a regional data centre hub is an attractive one, particularly in the context of growing global demand for digital infrastructure and AI-driven services. However, it raises important economic questions, especially whether this is a viable and high-return investment strategy for a small, fiscally constrained economy like Sri Lanka.
Nepal’s digital crossroads: building a transparent data governance framework
Nepal’s evolving digital landscape highlights a growing tension between constitutional guarantees of privacy and access to information, and a fragmented, outdated data governance framework. In a recent article published in Republica on March 17, 2026, Avash Mainali, Country Researcher for Nepal for LIRNEasia’s D4D Asia project, argues that while the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Policy, 2082 (2025), marks a positive step, its impact will depend on whether it can move beyond aspirational language to enforceable rights.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya Shares Insights on AI and Labour at ISLE Conference 2026
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming labour markets worldwide. In the Global South, however, these changes are unfolding unevenly, shaped by labour markets defined by high levels of informality, uneven social protection, and large skills gaps.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific