MTN Uganda Network Outage: Power Failure Disrupts MoMo, Voice & Data

Hundreds of thousands of MTN Uganda subscribers were left stranded on Sunday, July 5, 2026, following a severe network disruption that knocked out core telecommunication and financial services across parts of the country.

The telecom giant later released an official customer notice revealing that the widespread technical failure was triggered by a major power outage at one of its primary data centres earlier in the day. The infrastructure collapse severely impacted a significant segment of its user base, causing an unexpected blackout on voice calls, mobile internet data, and MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) transactions.

Multi-Service Disruptions Spark Public Outcry

The network hitch began unfolding mid-morning, with users taking to various alternative social media platforms to complain about an inability to make local voice calls, browse the internet, or perform essential digital transactions.

The disruption to MTN MoMo the country’s leading mobile financial platform caused immediate commercial paralysis for thousands of informal traders, fuel stations, retail shops, and transport operators who rely heavily on cashless mobile payments. Customers attempting to use the platform reported receiving transaction timeout messages, while others were completely locked out of the MoMo app and standard USSD menus (⁠*165#⁠).

Furthermore, data connectivity dropped significantly for a segment of users, cutting off access to remote workspaces and digital communication tools, while standard voice call attempts were met with instant line drops or “network busy” automated notifications.

In an official statement released to address the mounting public frustration, MTN Uganda confirmed that its core engineering and infrastructure teams had been deployed to resolve the situation.

“Following a major power outage at one of our data centres earlier today, a segment of our customers experienced disruptions to voice, data and MoMo services. Service restoration is underway, and our technical teams are working to restore all affected services as quickly as possible,” the company stated in its customer notice.

The telecommunications provider extended a sincere apology to its millions of affected subscribers for the inconveniences caused by the infrastructural failure, thanking them for their patience and understanding as full system rectification continues.

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While MTN Uganda noted that service restoration was actively underway, the company did not specify the exact location of the compromised data centre or the precise timeline required to achieve 100% network stability across all affected nodes.

Industry experts point out that while modern telecom data facilities are equipped with redundant backup power systems including industrial Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and automated standby generators a catastrophic failure at the primary power distribution board can occasionally bypass these safety nets, requiring manual technical intervention to bring core switches and servers safely back online.

As of Sunday evening, several users reported a gradual stabilization of data and voice signals, though mobile money processing times remained intermittently sluggish. MTN Uganda has promised to provide further updates as the restoration exercise nears complete optimization.