With expansion plans in sight, attractive data bundles, free International voice minutes for customers, the main question would be, what Lyca Mobile Uganda coverage areas have the best network speeds and full network coverage?

Well, the telco covers Kampala as its base zone just like any other mobile network operator in Uganda. Then, surrounding cities like Mukono, Jinja, Mbarara, rank as its second priority areas. But with a new National operator license recently granted to it by UCC, the telco has added most districts to its priority coverage areas with 4G access.

Now, based on your location all Lyca Mobile Uganda coverage areas offer the same Internet speeds, and a connection may act poor if you switch to 2G which is the second supported band alongside 4G at hotspots in Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara, Masaka, among other areas as listed on the coverage list.

Lyca Mobile Uganda Coverage Areas

Apparently, Lyca Mobile Uganda covers many towns and district regions in Uganda. Being an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), it uses existing masts and built networks from mobile operators like Airtel, MTN, UTL, Africell among others to beam its signal to customers. So, the telco has full coverage in city areas and district towns outside the central region.

Kampala Areas

• Bugoloobi
• Bukoto
• Busega
• Butabika
• Bwaise
• Ggaba
• Kabalagala
• Kaleerwe
• Kampala Hill
• Kamwookya
• Kansanga
• Kanyanya
• Kasubi hill
• Katanga Slum
• Katwe
• Kawaala
• Kawempe
• Kibuli
• Kibuye, Uganda
• Kigoowa
• Kikaaya
• Kisaasi
• Kiwaatule
• Kololo
• Kulambiro
• Kyebando
• Lubaga
• Lugogo, Kampala
• Lungujja
• Luzira
• Makerere
• Makerere Kikoni
• Makindye
• Mbuya
• Mengo, Uganda
• Mpererwe
• Mulago
• Munyonyo
• Muyenga
• Nakulabye
• Nakasero
• Nakawa
• Namirembe Hill
• Namungoona
• Namuwongo
• Nateete
• Ndeeba
• Nsambya
• Ntinda
• Port Bell
• Bulindo
• Kira Town
• Namungongo
• Ssonde
• Seeta
• Bweyogerere
• Kirinnya
• Wakiso Town
• Gayaza Town
• Buloba
• Matugga
• Kasangati
• Wampeewo

Other Areas (Towns)

• Mukono Town
• Mbalala
• Namataba
• Mityana
• Mubende
• Kyegegwa
• Fort Portal
• Kagadi
• Kasese
• Kamwenge Town
• Ishaka
• Mbarara         
• Lyatonde
• Ntungamo
• Kabale
• Bombo
• Luweero Town
• Lugazi
• Mbiko
• Njeru
• Jinja Town
• Bugembe
• Masese
• Magamaga
• Bukoyo
• Iganga
• Busesa
• Bugiri
• Busia
• Malaba
• Mbale Town
• Kumi Town
• Soroti Town
• Pallisa
• Kumi
• Hoima
• Masindi
• Karuma
• Lira
• Gulu
• Pakwach
• Nebbi
• Arua
• Koboko
• Moyo

Competitively, MTN Mobile Money ranks as the most used money transfer service. The service rocks with a catalog of features headlined by the ability to send and receive money, get loans with Mokash, and clear shopping bills for free with Momo Pay.

Likewise, Airtel Money is the second most used transfer service that follows the MTN Momo style of operation. Sending and receiving money is a top-notch feature, as loans can be requested via Airtel Wewole on top of free payments with Airtel Money Pay.

Alternatively, Africell Money and UTL’s Msente also equal as money transfer services with the ability for customers to perform several transactions. And so, with 4 operators in the light, Lyca Mobile will be the 5th mobile provider to follow the same path.

Lyca Mobile Money Charges, How they could be calculated

Just like all mobile money services, Lyca will facilitate money transfer (send and receive), then Payments will follow the same path with the ability to clear your utility bills, renew PayTV subscriptions and Pay taxes.

However, since Lyca Mobile has not revealed its direct transaction tiers, we expect its rates and charges to not differ by much with existing offers from competing telcos.

As a matter of fact, you should expect no charges to send money from Lyca-Lyca. This is based on the fact that Lyca’s goal is to provide affordable connections for less, and its data bundles validate this mission with exclusive weekly and monthly offers.

Based on starter transaction tiers as preset by existing providers, Lyca will range from as low as UGX 500 to a high of at least UGX 2,000,000. Then, transactions will carry charges except for deposits made directly to your account.

Predicted Lyca Money Transaction Tiers

For all withdraw transactions, a mobile money tax of 0.5% off the total amount is charged as a compulsory tax set by URA on withdrawing money. Luckily, the tax is not mounted on sending transactions, but limited to only cash withdraws from Agents or compatible ATMs.

Lyca Mobile Money Supported Payments

By default, all mobile money providers facilitate payments on the go. This means, you can avoid Bank queues, or falling victim of delayed digital payment network jams (Payway, Peebu, Ezee Money, among others).

Popularly, utility payments will be supported including UMEME and National Water (NWSC), then PayTV providers will also be integrated with DSTV, GOTV, Startimes, AzamTV, Zuku, among others, serving as compatible options.

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), KCCA, Multiplex, and other Government taxes will also be supported by the mobile money service. These are pre-determined as a standard for successful deployment to facilitate money transfer and payments for subscribers on the go.

When you should expect the service to go live

By a preset trend, we expect Lyca ‘s money transfer wing to go live not earlier than January 2021. This is due to the fact that the telco doesn’t unleash offers on fast timeframes as it acted in January 2020 with its official launch in Uganda.

Well, once the money transfer service goes live, customers will be able to send and receive money on Lyca Mobile the same way it’s possible on MTN, Airtel, Africell, and UTL.

For now, a Coming Soon notice is displayed on the telco’s website. But once launched, we shall publish the telco’s approximate mobile money charges and selected transaction tiers.

Similar to buying LycaMobile Airtime and OTT tax using Mobile Money, purchasing data follows the same path with only a few tweaks in the listing style.

First, and absolutely the best flavor, you can buy Lyca Mobile airtime using your SIMCard by dialing the telco’s root *100# shortcode to select Internet bundles. Then, choose a preferred data bundle and pay using airtime.

Secondly, Mobile Money and digital payment solutions like Payway Wallet also dash-in as perfect alternatives to swiftly process your data top-ups. By advantage, both methods work perfectly well with instant recharge.

How to Buy LycaMobile Data and OTT tax using Mobile Money

• Dial *252#
• Select Airtime and Bundles (option 6)
• Then Choose, Internet Bundles (option 2)
• Select Lyca Mobile (option 3)
• Enter your Lyca Mobile Number
• Then, Choose between Daily, Weekly and Monthly Data Bundles (Options 1-3)
• Select your Preferred Data Bundle
• Then, Proceed, and authorize Payment with your Mobile Money PIN
• Done: Your LycaMobile Data will be loaded to your account
• NB: You can either use MTN Momo or Airtel Money

To Buy LycaMobile Uganda OTT tax

• Dial *252#
• Select Airtime and Bundles (option 6)
• Then, Internet Bundles (option 2)
• Choose Lyca Mobile (option 3)
• Enter your Lyca Mobile Number
• Then, Choose between Weekly and Monthly OTT (option 4 & 5)
• Proceed and authorize Payment with your Mobile Money PIN
• Done: Your Lyca OTT will be topped up.

How to Buy LycaMobile Data using Airtime

• Dial *100# using your Lyca Mobile SIM
• From the list, Select Internet Bundles
• Then, choose between Daily, Voice and Monthly Bundles
• Select your preferred package
• Then, approve purchase using your Airtime Balance
• Done: Your Lyca Mobile Data will be loaded

Having used Lyca Mobile for a while now, we realized that a general problem exists for users who don’t double-check their connection settings.

Given the fact that most telcos like Airtel, MTN, Africell, Smile, and the likes automatically allow a user to connect to the Internet without any prior connection tweaks. For Lyca, the story flips, and here is how you can make your Internet connection faster by setting it up well.

Making your Lyca Mobile Uganda Internet Connection faster

The Trick: Ensure that you have the Correct Lyca Mobile Internet Settings

On a Smartphone:

On a Router or MIFI Dongle

So, by setting lycamobile.ug as your default APN, your Lyca Internet connection will perform faster than with any other default settings. This is because, the generic “Internet” APN defines many access points, while “lycamobile.ug” trims access to strictly Lyca’s broadcasting signal.

Sample Lyca Mobile Internet Settings

• Profile Name: Lyca Mobile Uganda
• APN: lycamobile.ug
• Leave the rest blank and Save
• Done: Enjoy Faster Lyca Mobile Internet Settings/Speeds

Setting your Lyca Mobile Uganda Network Coverage

By Default, Lyca Mobile Uganda routes with a 4G connection. In areas with poor connectivity, 2G is used with extremely slow browsing. However, as part of the path to making your Lyca connection faster, you must set your SIMCard to trap 4G broadcast signals as a default.

So, to set up your network connection for proper speeds, visit your device’s network settings and toggle between automatic search or manual search.

If you opt for a manual network search, from the list of available Networks select 64104 (4G) or Lyca Mobile (4G) whichever appears on your list. Select and register with the network to enjoy faster speeds.

As a precaution, the better your signal strength, the faster your Lyca Internet will behave. If you own a MiFi router, simply set it up on higher ground within your coverage area or buy a network booster.

For Smartphone users, you must locate the best positions around your home or usage area with better network coverage to attain Full Bars necessary for the best connection experience with your Lyca SIM.

Hence, we hope your Lyca Mobile Internet speeds will improve if you apply the right settings on your Phone or default gateway (MIFI Router). But in case the connection remains slow, then your location or device could be having a slow-connection flag.

Practically, we experienced 10times better Internet Speeds when we tweaked our Lyca Mobile Uganda SIM with these new settings. Nonetheless, share with us your experience with the telco in the comments section below, and if the above procedure works for you.

Well, Lyca Mobile Uganda currently offers the most interesting channels for you to load airtime. Leading the pike, MTN Mobile Money, and Airtel Money allow you to buy Lyca Airtime with ease the same way you’d buy Africell Airtime.

Buying Lyca Mobile Uganda Airtime on MTN Mobile Money or Airtel Money

1. Dial *252#
2. Choose Airtime and Bundles (option 6)
3. Then, select Buy Airtime (option 1)
4. From the options list, choose Lyca Mobile (option 5)
5. Enter your Lyca Mobile Number
6. Choose E-Top up or Airtime 500/=
7. Then, enter your Airtime amount (5,000/= and above)
8. Once Finished, Approve Payment via Mobile Money 
9. Done: Your Lyca Mobile number will be credited with Airtime

Either way, digital payment channels like Payway, Pebuu, A-Pay and the likes allow you to buy Lyca Airtime off their platforms. At the moment, Payway boasts as the best platform offering both Airtime and bundle purchases through an agent or Payway Wallet.

Buying Lyca Mobile Airtime on Payway

• Open your Payway Wallet App or Kiosk Dashboard on paywaykiosk.com
• Under the Internet Tab, Choose Lyca Mobile
• Enter your Lyca Mobile Number
• Choose Airtime Amount or Bundle
• Make Payment
• DONE; Your Lyca Mobile Number will be credited

To use a newly purchased Lyca Mobile SIMcard, you may need to know some shortcodes you can rely on to complete specific tasks and functions the same way you can on Africell, MTN, or Airtel.

At the moment, Lyca Mobile only has a handful of shortcodes with major ones expected to be rolled out as the telco continues to exist in Uganda’s service provider ecosystem.

For now, here is the full list of Lyca Mobile Uganda codes you need to master in order to buy Internet bundles, buy OTT, check your Mobile number, among other functions.

Lyca Mobile Shortcodes

At the moment, Lyca Mobile has countrywide coverage with only the Moroto and Karamoja regions missing on its coverage map. The network availability can be attributed to its International operation model (MVN) which relies on already existing networks to serve customers.

Buying a Lyca Mobile Uganda SIMcard

To buy a Lyca Mobile Uganda SIMcard, you must have a National ID card as the initial document to verify your new 072 series number.

In the shadow of no direct service centers at the moment, you can get a Lyca Mobile SIM from the telco headquarters on Yusuf Lule Rd opposite Garden city in Kampala or through its 3^rd party sellers accessible via its locator. 

A Lyca Mobile SIMcard costs UGX 10,000 picking a leaf from the succeeded Tangerine pricing structure.

When we contacted Lyca Mobile on the status of SIMCard purchases, the team replied back with the need for a National ID as the only requirement to process a new SIM as they said:

Our offices are open during this lockdown from 0900hr to 1530hrs Monday to Saturday located on Yusuf Lule road plot 77, opposite garden city main entrance.

For purposes of Acquiring a sim card, you are requested to have a National ID if your Ugandan, Valid passport for foreigners and Refugee Id if you’re a refugee

Lyca Mobile

Luckily, airtime can be purchased through multiple channels including MTN Momo and Airtel Money. On Mobile money, to buy Lyca Mobile Airtime, you simply dial *252# to follow prompts or check our guide here.

• PayWay
• Lyca Mobile agents
• Ever send
• Chap Chap
• Pebuu
• Chipper Cash

With MVN, an operator can have broad network connectivity without a single owned cell tower in a region, this is through partnerships and routing via existing networks to serve customers.

Lyca Mobile Uganda launched earlier this year in January and it’s promised data bundles leaked online with spices of 20GB for as low as UGX 10,000.

Well, with the Lyca Uganda website now live from a regular landing page, here is a full list of the telco’s Mobile Internet bundles and respective prices.

Lyca Mobile Internet Bundles

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

For every Internet bundle, Lyca Mobile pimps the preloaded data with International and Lyca-Lyca Voice minutes which vary per package and validity period.

But, Airtime can only be purchased through digital payment channels like Payway wallet once you secure a SIMcard from the telco’s agents or head offices on Yusuf Lule RD in Kampala.

However, rumor has it that the current bundles might be promotional/starter packages than being the telco’s all-time regular. So it’s a first come first enjoy basis for some time as Lyca garners a loyal subscriber base in Uganda.

Well, Lyca mobile launched in Uganda earlier this year in January as a full telecom company to disrupt the local telecommunications sector with voice and data offers for its customers.

Apparently, Lyca mobile which has not fully flagged off its operations in Uganda promises the cheapest data bundles in Uganda after a list of its projected data bundles has surfaced online.

The telco which so far has a coming soon landing page on its website promises 20GB for as low as UGX 10,000/= as its entry-level monthly mobile bundle.

On a high 100GB costs UGX 50,000/= which is 10 times cheaper than what the current telcos in Uganda with an average of 15GB at 50,000/= offered by most mobile providers like Africell, Smile, MTN, and Airtel.

The telco aims at dominating Uganda with a coverage map routing across the Karamoja region, Kigali region, central, East and Western regions of Uganda. At the moment, rumor has it that Lyca is still in its final license completion phase with UCC to fully bring its services online.

How to buy a LycaMobile SIMCard at the Moment

Though Lycamobile is still in its preparation stages, buying a SIMCard may require you to visit the telco’s headquarters on Yusuf Lule Road in Kampala where you can as well top up your account from.

Accordingly, the telco acquired Tangerine in 2019, meaning Tangerine Simcard holders could be able to sniff the network and enjoy its early rollout offers.

For now, Lycamobile promises the cheapest data bundles in Uganda. But we hope it doesn’t follow a path adjacent to that Smart Telecom adopted when it acquired Sure Telecom and availed the cheapest data bundles where 1GB was priced at UGX 1,000, and overnight true unlimited at 2,000/=

Amidst Stiff competition from MTN that recently unveiled work from home bundles, Airtel with its Freaky Friday offer and Africell with Don’t be cheated. Lyca Mobile’s offer will disrupt the industry, and may spike changes on the mobile Internet offers landscape, but will it survive?

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