Published: August 21, 2026
PAYNESVILLE — Satellite companies can now apply to sell broadband, backhaul and direct-to-device service in Liberia under a licensing regime the Liberia Telecommunications Authority adopted this week, a change that opens rural areas no tower reaches to operators who until now had no clear route into the market.
The Satellite Communications Guidelines 2026 set out how the LTA will authorize satellite networks, license the companies that sell service over them and manage the spectrum both depend on. They cover satellite broadband, gateway services, backhaul, managed data, broadcasting, very small aperture terminal service and direct-to-device technology, which connects ordinary mobile phones to satellites without any equipment on the ground.
Entry runs through two permissions rather than one. An operator must first hold a Landing Rights Authorization before it transmits to or receives from any satellite earth station in Liberia, and that authorization by itself does not allow it to sell anything. Selling requires a separate Satellite Communications License, carrying obligations on quality of service, universal access, cybersecurity and data protection. Authorizations run five years for non-geostationary systems and 10 years for geostationary ones, and the guidelines set application and annual fees by service category.
LTA Chairman Clarence K. Massaquoi said the point is redundancy as much as reach.
“We must guard against nationwide outages by establishing multiple means of connectivity,” Massaquoi said, naming submarine fiber, cross-border links and satellite as systems that back one another up.
Massaquoi said satellite broadband could carry high-speed internet to homes and businesses beyond the reach of mobile and fixed networks, that backhaul could let mobile operators light up areas where towers are few or absent, and that direct-to-device service could close dead zones in rural communities. He said the LTA is inviting international satellite companies into the market, arguing the framework gives them the regulatory certainty investment requires, and that the guidelines can be amended as the technology and international standards move.
Post and Telecommunications Minister Sekou M. Kromah said satellite service could support education, health care, government services, business and disaster response.
“Satellite technology has become increasingly important to Liberia’s digital transformation,” Kromah said.
Kromah said clear regulation would build confidence among investors and service providers while protecting Liberia’s interests.
Equipment faces its own gate. All satellite ground terminals and equipment installed or operated in Liberia must receive type approval before being switched on, and the LTA may inspect ground facilities before they go into service. Licensed providers will file quarterly reports on subscribers, distributors and resellers, technical performance, customer complaints and revenue.
The guidelines take effect when they are published in the National Gazette. Companies already licensed by the LTA for satellite-based services get 12 months to come into compliance.
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