Liberia gets 5G, but 70% of its people still aren’t online 🇱🇷📶

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Liberia has taken a new step in its digital buildout: Orange Liberia has launched 5G, becoming the first operator in the country to sell the technology commercially. On paper, that means faster mobile connections. But the launch lands in an awkward context, with around 70% of Liberians still not using the internet, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Pitched as a lever for digital transformation, fifth-generation mobile networks promise higher speeds and lower latency (the delay between an action and the network’s response) than earlier technologies. Orange Liberia says 5G could open up new uses in communication, work, content creation and entertainment. Still, the launch raises a harder question: can people actually access digital services?

5G promises new digital uses 📱

Thanks to its technical performance, 5G can support services that need a fast, responsive connection. Video streaming, online gaming, remote work and some professional applications are among the uses likely to benefit.

For Orange Liberia, the launch opens new room to grow digital services in the country. But the expected benefits will also hinge on network availability, the cost of compatible devices, and whether users can afford data plans.

In other words, a better connection doesn’t guarantee adoption. With a large share of the population still outside the internet, the challenge is also to make digital services accessible to as many people as possible.

Internet use is still limited 📊

The 5G launch builds on mobile infrastructure that already covers much of Liberia. According to ITU data, in 2025, 2G and 3G networks reached 98% and 94% of the population respectively, while 4G was available to roughly 93% of inhabitants.

Yet that availability doesn’t automatically translate into widespread internet use. Meanwhile, 54.8% of the population used mobile telephony, and around 70% of people still didn’t use the internet.

The gap shows the difference between a network covering a territory and people actually using the services it enables. Even where infrastructure exists, several factors can still hold back internet adoption.

Where 5G will actually reach remains unclear 🗺️

Beyond the commercial launch, coverage is the first challenge. Orange Liberia has not yet said which areas will be served at launch or how big the rollout will be, and it’s unclear when other operators in the country will follow.

Under those conditions, early offers could concentrate in urban centers, where demand and profitability are highest. Rural communities, by contrast, risk staying on older generations of mobile networks.

This is a broader problem for telecoms in sub-Saharan Africa. In its November 2023 Ericsson Mobility Report, the Swedish equipment maker says the low profitability of rural sites, largely because average revenue per user is low, slows network expansion. Building and maintaining sites can cost more than the revenue they are expected to bring in.

The investment bill is another obstacle. In 2022, Ericsson estimated that an initial 5G rollout could require between $3 billion and $8 billion per country, with extending coverage nationwide potentially needing a further 20% to 35% of that amount.

Other barriers to adoption 💰

Even where coverage exists, access to 5G will depend on whether consumers can pay for the devices and services involved. The price of compatible smartphones and data plans, in particular, can limit uptake.

Digital skills and the availability of content relevant to local needs add to those economic constraints. The quality of services will also shape whether people decide to use the internet day to day.

So 5G in Liberia is not just a matter of installing a new generation of infrastructure. It will depend on operators extending coverage and offering affordable plans, but also on whether people can get concrete value from digital services.

Orange Liberia’s launch is a genuine technological step forward. But with roughly 70% of Liberians not using the internet, the challenge is turning this new connection capacity into access that is actually useful and affordable for more people.

Does it make sense to roll out 5G in a country where most people aren’t online yet? Tell us in the comments.