Team Spotlight introduces the people who keep BOSCO Uganda’s network running in northern Uganda. Benjamin Opoya, a student at Gulu University in the northern Ugandan city of Gulu, interned with BOSCO Uganda’s field engineering team. This account first appeared on BOSCO Uganda’s blog, and we’re sharing it here in full.

By Benjamin Opoya | Intern, Gulu University

Studying at Gulu University gave me the technical foundation, but interning with BOSCO Uganda put me out in the field where real network infrastructure operates. Working alongside field engineers, I helped maintain power systems, troubleshoot site outages, and protect internet connectivity for rural communities across Northern Uganda.

Preventing Power Failure at Radio Maria

During a routine inspection at BOSCO Uganda’s main hub for Radio Maria, Team Lead Solomon Okori and I caught a site failure in progress. The solar inverter was constantly beeping, signaling that the battery bank was dangerously close to shutting down completely. A total shutdown would have dropped internet access across the entire site.

To avoid a sudden outage, we rerouted the networking gear directly to a backup power source. This kept the connection online while giving the main solar rig room to safely recharge the batteries—a quick operational call that saved the site from going dark.

Restoring Tower Connectivity on Opit Hill

When an outage hit our Opit Hill tower site, I headed out with Mr. Mwaka Emmanuel Venish to locate the problem. We traced the total connection loss back to a faulty network switch on site.

We restored the link step-by-step:

• Replaced damaged hardware: Pulled the dead switch out of the rack and mounted a fresh unit.
• Configured network settings: Set up the replacement switch with the correct VLANs and IP parameters.
• Ran link verification: Executed end-to-end ping tests to confirm strong communication between the Opit tower, Radio Maria tower, and neighboring microwave links.

Key Practical Skills Gained

• Diagnosing and resolving remote microwave link drops and hardware failures.
• Configuring network switches, setting up IP routing, and running line tests.
• Managing off-grid solar power systems and managing battery load during low-power situations.
• Working safely and efficiently on active tower sites.

My time at BOSCO Uganda bridged the gap between classroom theory and heavy-duty field engineering. I’m returning to Gulu University with practical technical experience and a much clearer understanding of how to build resilient communication systems for the communities that rely on them most.