Liberia to Launch ECOWAS Free Roaming with Sierra Leone Monday, Signs Deal with Côte d’Ivoire

Beginning Monday, August 4, Liberia will officially launch ECOWAS Free Roaming services with Sierra Leone, allowing mobile subscribers to receive free incoming calls and access affordable communication while traveling across the border. The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) will also sign a bilateral agreement with Côte d’Ivoire to extend the same benefits to travelers between the two countries in the near future. The signing ceremony will take place during a three-day ECOWAS Roaming Conference, which kicks off tomorrow in Monrovia, bringing together telecom regulators and mobile operators from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire. Under the ECOWAS Free Roaming Regulation, Liberians traveling to Sierra Leone will enjoy: Free incoming calls for 30 days. Local rates for outgoing calls, SMS, and data the same rates paid by residents of the host country. The service activates automatically upon arrival in the partner country no registration is needed. However, subscribers must manually switch on Data Roaming in their phone’s settings to access mobile internet. The free roaming benefit is valid for up to 30 days. After that, normal roaming charges will apply. Permanent roaming is not permitted. The bilateral agreement with Côte d’Ivoire will follow the same framework, and Liberia is currently working on additional agreements with The Gambia, Ghana, and others. This initiative is part of a broader ECOWAS Free Roaming zone that includes 14 West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Liberian subscribers can only access the benefit in countries where bilateral agreements are in place. Consumers are reminded that the regulation does not apply to international calls made from Liberia, which remain outside the scope of the free roaming deal. If subscribers are wrongly charged or unable to access roaming services, they are encouraged to contact their mobile operator first. If the issue persists, complaints should be filed with the LTA. The LTA, in collaboration with Orange Liberia and Lonestar MTN, is expected to roll out a nationwide public awareness campaign following the conference.