Liberia Telecommunications Corporation

History

LTC was founded through the Liberian Telecommunications Corporation Act of 1973 to construct and operate the country's fixed line communications infrastructure and to provide services to residents and businesses. Originally, the corporation was also given exclusive policy setting and regulatory authority over all telecommunications in the country, though these powers were transferred to the newly created Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1978.

The corporation ceased operations in 1990 following the outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War and the subsequent collapse of the national government. The civil war resulted in much of the corporation's infrastructure being destroyed. Following the end of the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, the transitional government failed in its attempt to privatize Libtelco. In 2006, the newly elected President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reactivated Libtelco, appointing a temporary Board of Directors while also ordering the creation of a new telecommunications policy for Liberia.

The subsequent Liberia Telecommunications Act of 2007 placed regulatory authority over Libtelco and the Liberian telecommunications industry with the newly created Liberia Telecommunications Authority, while also granting Libtelco the sole license for all fixed line telephone services in the country until 2011. Sirleaf appointed a new board and management team to operate the company in 2007. The government has also stated its intention to privatize the company at some point in the future.