Gambian mobile operator QCell is planning to launch mobile services in Sierra Leone, after it secured an operating concession from the regulator, CEO Muhammed Jah told local news source Awoko. The Gambian business tycoon was quoted as saying: ‘QCell has now been registered and incorporated in Sierra Leone and has been granted the necessary licences to provide mobile telecommunication services in Sierra Leone. It was a long and tedious process with a lot of vetting. However, we were able to satisfy all the requirements and were duly granted the licences.’ The executive added: ‘Qcell now intends to commence operations pretty soon. We intend to roll out a network that covers the entire country in the shortest possible time. Our ambition is to deliver a network that is actually fit for purpose that is a robust and reliable network that works for you and at affordable rates.’
TeleGeography notes that Sierra Leone is currently home to four operational cellcos – Lintel Sierra Leone (Africell), Airtel Sierra Leone, which was acquired by French telecoms giant Orange in January 2016, fixed line incumbent Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (Sierratel) and newcomer Intergroup Telecom (Smart Mobile), a subsidiary of Cyprus-based Timeturns Holdings. Another operator – Comium Sierra Leone – had its operating licence ‘temporarily’ suspended on 13 October 2014, and the company is understood to have ceased offering commercial services.