AYV News, July 1, 2026
Sierra Leone’s national telecommunications company, Sierratel, officially enters commercial service today marking a significant moment in the country’s telecoms history.
For the first time, Sierra Leoneans can pick up a Sierratel SIM card, recharge it, and begin using it nationwide with any handset, on a GSM network. This is Courtesy of a Public-Private Partnership agreement signed between the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation, andleading mobile network operator, Africell Sierra Leone.
Sierratel now operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) – running its own branded services across the country. The arrangement means Sierratel can focus entirely on what it is here to do: serve customers, build reach, and restore a national brand that belongs to this country.
The Government of Sierra Leone retains full ownership of the Sierratel brand, the licence, and the national identity that comes with it. Africell has brought in the operational partnership needed to make the model work so that every Sierra Leonean can actually benefit from what Sierratel was always supposed to be.
Sierratel has always meant something to Sierra Leoneans. Today, it means something new.
The revived brand is positioned as Sierra Leone’s digital lifestyle network built for young, always-connected users: students, creators, hustlers, and social-first customers who want a mobile experience that feels personal, flexible, and theirs. But it also reaches back to the loyal base of Sierra Leoneans who never stopped believing in the name those who remember when Sierratel was the network that connected this country, and who are ready to welcome it back.
Every new Sierratel SIM activates with an immediate package: 10 minutes of voice calls, 100 SMS, and 300MB of data enough to get started, explore the network, and experience the difference.
For the first recharge NLe10 or above on a smartphone, a 1GB data bonus kicks in automatically. And Sierratel’s launch recharge promotion ensures that every top-up is rewarded: smaller recharges receive a 10% bonus, while recharges of NLe10 and above, receive 100% bonus – giving every subscriber real value from the very first leones they load.
Sierratel SIMs are available from today at Point-of-Sale locations across Freetown and upcountry, as well as through an expanding national dealer network nationwide. Dedicated operations support is in place at our call center to ensure customers can get help when they need it.
Our mobile app and social media channels are all up and running to ensure you get optimal experience and the latest information and updates regarding our products and services.
Today is not just a business launch. It is the return of something that Sierra Leone deserves.
A national telecommunications company, serving its own people, on a network that works, at prices that are fair generating revenue that flows back into the public interest. No government budget was spent to make this happen. No national asset was sold. What was built here, was built through leadership, partnership, and a clear-eyed belief that Sierra Leone’s institutions can be revived when the right decisions are made.
