Recent reports from the Liberian press indicate that local operator Lonestar Cell MTN has extended its mobile coverage in Liberia.
Lonestar Cell MTN, which is majority owned by South Africa’s MTN Group, has announced the commissioning of new sites in more than 55 remote towns and villages across Liberia. These are said to have had no coverage from any network until now.
The rollout includes settlements in Nimba, Bong, Grand Capemount and Gbarpolu Counties, as part of a significant investment currently being undertaken to improve the end user experience, deliver high-speed mobile internet and offer high-quality voice calls across the country.
An operator spokesperson is quoted as saying: “People in these towns and villages can now make calls, send text messages and even use the internet for the first time in these locations, thereby removing the hassle of having to travel long distances to search for a signal to make a connection.”
Lonestar MTN has been busy of late. The success of the Lonestar MTN Mobile Money platform, launched in 2011, has brought it a leading position among the country’s operators with, one estimate suggests, 1.6 million Mobile Money subscribers out of Liberia's total population of 4.6 million people.
Despite its relatively small population, Liberia has a lively telecommunications sector. According to GSMA Intelligence, the main players in the sector include four GSM mobile network operators: Lonestar Cell MTN, Orange Liberia, Libtelco and Novafone.
