Telecommunications in Sierra Leone; from Strowger to fully digital switching

The author gives an overview of the development process of the communications industry in Sierra Leone, a developing country in West Africa, against the background of the quality of its infrastructures, its educational base (academic and vocational) and of course its economy. The roles of the national telecommunications company (SLNTC) and the national external telecommunications company (SLET) are discussed and their directions in the light of their plan of action are catalogued. These two companies with a strong government partnership enjoy a monopoly in internal and external communications respectively, although there are growing indications of a change in this scenario