• $400 million invested in telecom infrastructure, including fiber across most districts
• 60% of the population still does not use telecom services
• Authorities push infrastructure sharing to lower costs and expand access

Sierra Leone has invested heavily in telecom infrastructure, but a majority of its population still does not use basic digital services.

About 60% of people remain outside the telecom ecosystem, despite roughly $400 million in investment that has expanded the national fiber backbone to 14 of the country’s 16 districts.

Communications Minister Salima Monorma Bah outlined this gap last week during a sector meeting organized by Parliament’s information and communications committee. The session brought together lawmakers, the telecom regulator NatCA, public operators including Sierratel and SALPOST, the Felei Tech City project, mobile network operators, and civil society groups.

A persistent digital divide

Sierra Leone continues to lag in digital development. According to the International Telecommunication Union’s 2024 ICT Development Index, the country ranks 38th out of 47 African nations, with a score of 34.3 out of 100.

The index reflects a range of indicators, including internet usage, mobile broadband penetration, data traffic, pricing, and device ownership.

Network coverage is relatively high. In 2024, 2G reached 96% of the population, 3G covered 97.2%, and 4G reached 81.6%, according to ITU data. But usage remains low. Mobile penetration stands at 50.3%, while internet usage is limited to just 25.1% of the population.

Infrastructure sharing as a key lever

To close this gap, Bah called on operators to increase cooperation, particularly through infrastructure sharing. The approach is aimed at reducing operating costs, which remain a major barrier to affordable services.

Infrastructure sharing allows telecom companies to use the same physical and technical systems instead of building separate networks. This model is expanding across Africa.

According to a December 2024 Ecofin Pro report, two main forms exist. Passive sharing covers non-electronic assets such as towers, poles, and buildings, while each operator maintains its own active network. Active sharing goes further by including electronic equipment such as switches and radio access nodes, offering greater cost savings.

The ITU also notes that active sharing can include roaming agreements, allowing operators to use each other’s networks in areas where they lack coverage. This model significantly reduces deployment costs, especially in rural or low-return markets.

The agency adds that such cooperation can support the rollout of new technologies, expand mobile broadband, and strengthen competition, provided safeguards are in place to prevent anti-competitive behavior.

Beyond infrastructure

Lowering costs through shared infrastructure could improve affordability, but it will not be enough on its own to drive widespread adoption.

Prices also depend on factors such as taxation, market competition, and the cost of energy and network maintenance.

More importantly, affordability does not guarantee usage. Expanding access requires broader efforts, including wider availability of devices, improved digital skills, better service quality, and more relevant content.

Smartphone adoption remains limited. According to the World Bank, only 28.53% of Sierra Leoneans aged 15 and older owned a smartphone in 2024. High device costs continue to slow adoption, a trend seen across much of Africa.

Isaac K. Kassouwi