The fixed network operator, the incumbent "Sierratel", is a state-owned monopoly. It is the only provider in the fixed landline segment of the Industry. The infrastructure loss as a result of the civil war affected the operations of the operator. It has since launched mobile telecom services, with about 3% of the market share.
Although the telecommunications sector has been liberalised, it is reported that one of the major obstacles to affordable broadband internet in Sierra Leone is the de-facto monopoly and inefficient operation of the international gateway by the state-owned Sierra Leone Cable Limited (SALCAB). The Telecommunications Act was amended in 2015 with the aim of liberalising the international gateway through a repeal and replacement of Section (33) of the 2006 Telecommunications Act to curtail the monopoly of incumbent Sierratel over the international gateway. Still, there have been delays in the liberalisation of the gateway.

It is reported that Sierra Leone does not mandate functional or accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

Telecommunications operators are required to obtain licenses. However, approval for a license is not required for agreements between two local companies. Also, the licensing regime is reported to be restrictive, as it imposes lengthy lengthy processes on new market entrants. According to Section 20 of the Telecommunications Act, no person shall engage in any activity as a telecommunications operator unless they have been licensed for that purpose by the National Telecommunication Commission (NATCOM). Section 2 of the Telecommunications (Licensing) Regulations confirms the need for business licenses and authorisations for telecommunications, broadband communications and ancillary services in Sierra Leone.
Section 50 of the Telecommunications Act places additional scrutiny on agreements between local and foreign public telecommunications companies. It states that all agreements between local and foreign telecommunications companies should be submitted to the Commission for approval or modification of any terms. In considering the agreement for approval, the Commission shall take into account any exclusionary or discriminatory practices of the foreign-based service providers and telecommunications authorities and shall ensure that the local service providers are not subjected to unreasonable terms or discrimination.

Sierra Leone has not appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

Sections 28.3 and 34.2 of the Civil Registration Act mandate that the civil register, which contains personal data of residents, be maintained and kept at the chiefdom, district and national level. Likewise, the personal registration file should be kept in the region, district, or chiefdom of the individual. This is applicable to personal data stored in the Civil Register.

Sections 19.1 and 19.2 of the Telecommunications Subscribers Identification and Registration Management Regulation empowers the National Telecommunications Commission to establish and maintain a central electronic database of communications service subscribers, in which all subscribers' information shall be stored. The database shall be housed either within the Commission or in another location as may be determined by the Commission.
According to Sections 22.3 and 22.4, the transfer and utilisation of subscribers' data outside the country are subject to the provision of justification for the data use, the approval of the Commission, and the assurances of the security and confidentiality of the data/information.

Sierra Leone has not joined any free trade agreement committing to open transfers of cross-border data flows.

Sierra Leone does not have a comprehensive data protection law. However, there are provisions for data protection in the legal frameworks governing the operations of some sectors. For example, in the telecommunications sector, Section 78 of the Telecommunications Act makes it a criminal offence for anyone engaging in the provision of telecommunications services to disclose to any unauthorised person information or data s/he comes across as part of his lawful duty in respect of any customer or user of the telecommunications services. Also, Section 21 of the Telecommunications Subscriber Regulations states that a licensed service provider shall take reasonable steps to ensure the security and confidentiality of the subscriber’s registration and prevent corruption, loss or unauthorised disclosure of the information. There are also provisions for data protection in the financial sector. Section 35 of the Lenders and Borrowers Act states that a lender or a person who acts on behalf of a lender shall not disclose information obtained from a borrower unless the information is required under any other law or by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Section 19.4 of the Telecommunications Subscribers Regulations provides that the service provider shall, on a monthly basis or at such regular interval as the Commission may specify, transmit to the Commission all subscriber's information captured in their subscribers registers within the preceding month or such period as stipulated by the Commission in accordance with these Regulations. Section 20 of the Regulations also mandates licensed operators to capture, record and transmit to the central subscriber's information database the particulars of all its sales. The regulations do not specifically say for how long the data may be stored; they only mention the frequency at which the data should be transmitted to the Commission. However, Section 32(1-2) of the Regulations states that a subscriber intending to utilise one or more mobile universal integrated service cards, fixed telephone lines or internet connections that has been registered in its name, for allocation to a third party shall, before handing over a universal integrated service card or providing access to any telecommunication service, record the particulars and the date on which the utilisation commenced and the period for which the third party shall utilise the communications service. This information registered shall be stored for a minimum period of three years.

Sierra Leone has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair dealing model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. The fair dealing provisions are contained in Sections 9 and 14 of the Copyright Act, while the provisions highlighting other instances of permitted use of copyrighted materials can be found in Sections 27-37. The exceptions encompass private reproduction for personal purposes, temporary reproduction, reproduction in the form of quotation, reproduction for teaching, libraries and archives, broadcasting and other public communication, publication of portraits in events of public interest, reproduction and adaptation of computer programmes, importation for personal purposes, display of works, and ephemeral recordings, among others.

Although Sections 72-73 of the Copyrights Act provide for civil remedies and criminal sanctions for unauthorised use of copyrighted materials, there are still cases of piracy of protected works in the country. It is reported that legal protection is weak and inadequate, and there is limited enforcement of intellectual property laws due to resource and capacity limitations.

Sierra Leone has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Sierra Leone has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.