Communications in Liberia

Cellcom Liberia antenna in Monrovia (2009)

Communications in Liberia consist of telephone lines and cellular phone networks. A lot of the telephone lines were destroyed or plundered in the two civil wars, making cellular phone networks a popular and safer alternative that reach remore regions of the country.

Press

The main newspapers are:

• The Daily Talk^[3]

Mail

Telephone

Fixed telephones

The fixed line infrastructure of Liberia was nearly completely destroyed during the civil war. In 2006, the country had approximately 5,000 fixed lines installed, almost exclusively in the Monrovia area.^[4] Prior to the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 2007, the state-owned Liberia Telecommunications Corporation (LIBTELCO) held a legal monopoly for all fixed line services in Liberia, and remains the sole licensed fixed line telephone service provider in the country.

Mobile telephones

Comium building (2006)

Four licensed GSM service providers operate in the country: Lonestar Cell, CellCom, LiberCell and Comium. Approximately 45% of the population has cell phone service.^[4]

Radio

In 2001, there were 0 AM radio broadcast stations, 7 FM, and 2 shortwave, with 790,000 radio receivers.^[5]

Radio stations include:

• STAR radio^[1]
• ELBC^[1]
• Truth FM^[1]
• Radio Veritas^[2]
• UNMIL radio - UNMIL
• LUX 106.6 FM - University of Liberia
• 89.5 FM - Voice of Firestone – Liberia^[6]

Television

As of 2001 there was one television broadcast station plus four low-power repeaters,^[7] while as of 1997 there were 70,000 television receivers.^[5]

• Real TV^[8]

Internet

Internet services are currently limited to the Monrovia area. The Country code (Top-level domain) is LR.

Republic of Liberia

History · Politics · Demographics Culture · Geography · Music Communications · Transport · Economy Armed Forces · Foreign relations Americo-Liberian · Nationality law Subdivisions: Counties · Districts

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Liberia; LMC Extols Media Institutions, The NEWS, September 16, 2008, Africa News.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Media regulator recommends support for local media coverage of truth commission", BBC Monitoring Africa, June 27, 2008. PoliticalSupplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring.
3. ^ Lydia Polgreen (August 4, 2006). "All the News That Fits: Liberia’s Blackboard Headlines". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/04/world/africa/04liberia.html?pagewanted=all. 
4. ^ ^{a b} [http://www.ppiaf.org/ppiaf/sites/ppiaf.org/files/publication/ImpSt-Liberia-fin.pdf "PPIAF Supports Telecommunications Reform and Liberalization in Liberia"]. PPIAF. July 2011. http://www.ppiaf.org/ppiaf/sites/ppiaf.org/files/publication/ImpSt-Liberia-fin.pdf. Retrieved September 3, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} 1997 statistic — please update if possible
6. ^ "Firestone launches radio station 89.5 FM". The Monitor (Equal Chance Communication Ltd.). http://www.themonitor.com.lr/story.php?record_id=1985&sub=14. Retrieved 9 March 2010. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ 2001
8. ^ "Liberia: Press Union names Star Radio as radio station of year", BBC Monitoring Africa, July 30, 2008. PoliticalSupplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring.