By Kadiatu Sankoh
The National Telecommunications Authority (NatCA), mandated to ensure that mobile network services in Sierra Leone remain accessible, affordable, and of high quality for all citizens, continues to monitor market developments closely. Working in partnership with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), NatCA strives to balance innovation with sustainability and fairness.
In early 2024, certain MNOs introduced an unlimited data offer of 1Mbps for NLe60, designed to promote digital inclusion. The offer rapidly gained popularity, leading to an 80% surge in mobile internet traffic within just a few months. While this reflected a growing appetite for data services, it also exposed several significant challenges.
After careful assessment, NatCA approved the MNOs’ request to withdraw the promotional offer for the following reasons:
- Economic Imbalance:
The surge in data traffic did not correspond with revenue growth. Revenue increased five times less than the traffic volume, making the model unsustainable and threatening the financial viability of future network investments.
- Network Strain and Quality Risks:
Maintaining such exponential growth required substantial infrastructure investments, which were not economically viable under the existing pricing model. Without corrective action, the surge would have caused serious degradation in Quality of Service (QoS) for all users, not just subscribers to the promotional plan.
- Inequity in Usage:
Only 3% of subscribers benefited from the offer, yet they consumed a disproportionate share of network capacity. In extreme cases, individual users consumed up to 1 terabyte per month by exploiting the offer through multiple subscriptions — negatively affecting overall network performance.
- Protecting Long-Term Consumer Interests:
NatCA’s responsibility extends beyond promoting innovation to ensuring that all consumers benefit fairly from mobile network services. Allowing a small group of users to strain national infrastructure undermines service quality for the majority and jeopardizes the long-term health of the telecom sector.
NatCA wishes to reassure the public that this decision was not taken lightly. It followed extensive consultations with industry stakeholders, and was made in the interest of preserving service quality, promoting sustainable investment, and ensuring fairness across the user base.
Importantly, no price increase has been implemented. The change affects only the promotional NLe60 bundle. All other data plans remain unchanged and affordable, with options starting from one day of unlimited internet for just 15 SLE.
NatCA remains firmly committed to promoting affordable internet access, encouraging responsible innovation, and ensuring that operators continue to maintain and improve the quality of service for all users across Sierra Leone.
NatCA thanks the public for their understanding and continued trust.