The vision of Government of Liberia on the ICT and Telecommunication sector is to create the enabling environment that will accelerate the development and availability of telecommunications services in Liberia.  Its philosophy is to ensure that services are provided in an open, market-oriented environment with private sector-led investment as a focus to develop the sector in response to consumer demand and public needs. From the days when the incumbent enjoyed exclusivity rights to provide services with no other competitor allowed to the era of competition, Liberia continues to strive to create a liberalized environment that allows market forces and technology to determine the most effective means to provide services to end users.

The Liberia Telecommunication Authority
The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), the body responsible to implement sector policy is required to facilitate fair and effective competition in all market segments, except the fixed line telephone service that is under moratorium. Beside the fixed telephone line service which will witness full liberalization by 2011, the internet market, the mobile market and other services in the telecommunication and ICT environment are fully liberalized. And Supportive of the vision to close the current access gap in communications services nationwide is the policy to make universal access to telecommunications services a top priority under the universal access program.

The Government of Liberia has actively liberalized the telecommunications market and is encouraging the participation of the private sector at all levels, except in the fixed telephone line service that is under temporal moratorium until 2011.

While the LTA is charged with the responsibility to issue licenses to all telecommunications operators in consultation with the Ministry and to assign civilian and non-civilian frequencies as well as to implement national numbering plan, it is required to also ensure fair and equitable competitive practices in the sector. LTA is therefore expected to issue regulations on interconnection, co-locations, general tariff and all other issues that are critical and key to the success of a functional and predictable sector.

Introduced as an interim body in 2004 under Chapter 18 by the transitional legislature during the Bryant Administration that was ushered in by the Accra Peace Accord, the LTA was finally created as a permanent regulatory body by the Telecommunications Act of 2007. It has 5 Commissioners one of whom is the Chairman. To find the workings of the LTA, the profile of its Commissioners and how other pieces of information on the sector concerning regulation, click the link: www….?

MOBILE MARKET

The mobile market in Liberia is fully liberalized. It has 4 players. LTA is faced with the task to standardize the available license and to redeem the fair value of the license which remains largely underpaid. Besides, current statistics about the mobile sector including the total number of subscribers for each of the companies, volume of calls (international calls originating from and coming to Liberia, local call across different net work, call within a given network) remains less satisfactory as there has been no other independent authority to certify verify the information at any given time. These are some of the basic task awaiting the LTA. 

Lonestar, a GSM Company
Lonestar commenced service in Liberia in 2000. It had exclusivity rights over the GSM bandwidth until 2003. It was a subsidiary of Investcom, a holding company based in Beirut, Lebanon, until South Africa’s MTN took over it in 2006. It is the dominant mobile operator, with 50-60% market share. Information on this company can be found on: www.lonestarcell.com

Cellcom
Cellcom is one of the GSM companies in Liberia. It is owned by a partnership consisting of American and Israeli investors. It also has a considerable share of the market. Information on this company can be found on: www.cellcomgsm.com

Comium
Comium is owned by the Dalloul Group of Lebanon. The Dalloul Group also owns a GSM operator in Lebanon through Libancell.  Information on this company can be found on: www.comium.lr

Libercell
Libercell is the network name of Atlantic Wireless (Liberia) Inc. and is owned by Lebanese investors. Saudi-owned HiTs Telecom bought a 45% stake in Libercell, in April 2007. Information on this company can be found on the link: www.libercell.com.info

Liberia Telecommunication Corporation (Libtelco), service provider using the CDMA Platform
The Liberia Telecommunications Corporation overcame the problems that led to her dormancy. Today, the state-owned company is resuscitated under a new management. It has deployed new technology, replacing the obsolete ones. 

LTC, designated as National Operator, will provide fixed wireless phone, wireless Internet and fax services to the public. The fixed wireless phone services are available for use as desk phone in public offices, at homes as well as in various business enterprises and other entities. Libtelco re-entry into the communication sector followed some uncertainty about the future of this once viable entity given the impact of the 14 years civil war that left its equipment looted, vandalized or mismanaged. Finally the UP-led government has added value to the entity. Information on this company can be found www.libtelco.com