Libya’s Mobile Industry Amid Recovery and Change

In recent years, Libya has faced significant challenges in rebuilding its economy and infrastructure after the civil war and ongoing political unrest. The telecom sector was hit particularly hard, around a quarter of the country’s mobile towers were destroyed or looted in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising. Efforts to restore services were repeatedly delayed by political and military instability, especially during the decade when rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk failed to agree on a unified national reconstruction strategy despite numerous mediation attempts.

The formation of a UN-brokered Government of National Unity in March 2021 brought cautious optimism, though it was intended only as an interim solution ahead of the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for December that year.

Even amid political deadlock, some progress has been made in reviving the telecom network. Mobile operators have collaborated to expand LTE coverage in the south, a development made possible by improved political stability. Previously, telecom towers were frequent targets in the conflict, making such cooperation difficult.

There are two main mobile operators in Libya: Libyana and Almadar Aljadeed. Both are state-owned. Libyana has a market share of over 55% and Almadar Aljadeed at 44%, according to Media Landscapes. Overall mobile coverage in Libya extends to about 90% of the population, concentrated in urban regions along the coast; but geographic coverage remains limited, less than 20% of the country's land area. The mobile market is supported by some of the lowest tariffs on the continent.

According to GSMA Intelligence, Libya had 14.6 million mobile connections at the start of 2025. It is important to note that many people use more than one mobile line, so the number of connections often surpasses the size of the total population. For instance, a person may keep one line for personal communication while maintaining a second for work. The growing use of eSIM technology in recent years has made it even easier for individuals to manage multiple connections.

Based on GSMA Intelligence data, mobile connections in Libya were equal to about 197 percent of the country’s total population in January 2025. The number of connections has also continued to grow. Between early 2024 and the beginning of 2025, Libya added 299 thousand new mobile connections, representing growth of just over 2 percent. At the same time, GSMA Intelligence reports that 92.9% of all mobile connections in the country now qualify as “broadband.” This means they are capable of connecting through 3G, 4G, or 5G networks.

However, it is important to understand that a broadband-capable connection does not always translate to actual mobile internet use. Some subscriptions are limited to voice and SMS services only, so this figure should not be treated as a direct measure of internet adoption.

Established in 2004, Libyana was Libya’s first GSM operator and quickly became a market leader. The company holds the largest share of the market, with over 6.3 million subscribers across government institutions, businesses, and individuals. It recently expanded its services to include 4G+ and VoLTE coverage in most Libyan cities and is currently testing 5G technology. While praised for its widespread network, Libyana struggles with an oversubscribed network and its internet service is considered the least reliable among the available options.

Almadar Aljadeed (Almadar) is the second-largest operator, holding 44% market share. It is known for its competitive rates, extensive coverage, and more stable and flexible connections compared to other options, according to Media Landscapes. Almadar recently introduced H+ services, seen as a positive step for the industry. 

5G is in early stages, with planning and trials by both major operators.

Rural expansion is being explored through solar-hybrid towers and VSAT aggregation, supported by multilateral funding to close the digital divide.

Libya’s mobile industry is shaped by the state-managed duopoly of Libyana and Al-Madar with overlapping strengths and constraints. Libyana's affordability and reach make it popular among the masses, while Al-Madar appeals to those seeking stability and premium offerings.  Though infrastructural and geographic gaps remain, especially in rural areas, expanding international links and emerging private players are promising signs of sector maturation.

Libya has Deployed 5G in spite of all the Issues surrounding them

Libya is struggling to rebuild its economy and infrastructure following disruption caused by foreign interventions, civil war and the subsequent political unrest. Much of the telecom infrastructure was destroyed or stolen, including about a quarter of the country’s mobile tower sites. Reconstruction efforts are delayed due to a lack of cooperation between the two opposing administrations, in Tripoli and Tobruk, there is no consensus as to how to rebuild infrastructure on a national scale. Nevertheless, progress is being made in rebuilding infrastructure, and this has resulted in a resurgence in the number of connected fixed-lines as large numbers of the population are again able to access services.

Despite the destruction to telecom infrastructure what is left remains superior to what exists in other African countries. Considerable investment had been made by the former government in a next-generation national fibre optic backbone network. There was considerable expansion of DSL and WiMAX broadband services, and new international fibre connections and upgrades made to existing ones. Libya also had one of Africa’s first Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) deployments. 

With one of the highest market penetration rates in Africa, the mobile voice market is supported by some of the lowest tariffs on the continent and one of the highest per capita GDP levels. Opportunities remain in the broadband sector where market penetration is still relatively low. So far, 4G services have only a limited reach and thus the development of mobile broadband has been slow. Fixed-line penetration has fallen significantly because of the war but is also expected to see a renaissance, including fibre, as the demand for very high-speed broadband increases.

The Libyan Post and Telecommunications Information Technology Company (LPTIC), is the state's telecoms holding company that owns Libya’s two main mobile operators Al-Madar and Libyana.

Al-Madar established in 1995, was the first  operator in North Africa they currently have over 3 million subscribers ranging from government establishments, to businesses and individuals. 

Al-Madar has launched its 5G service to improve telecommunications in the country with speed reaching 1.5 Gbps a second in Tripoli. The operator says 5G service is part of its five-point strategy of 2016-2020. They added that they successfully installed the trial network and thus became the first operator to launch this service in the region. They aim to install this service in main cities by 2020 and they will allow businesses to have access to LOT service.

Libyana the other major operator was the first to launch 4G LTE network in the country. Coverage was initially limited to the cities of Tripoli, Zawiya, Sabha and Misrata, although the company expects to add further locations to its footprint in the near future.

Open Signal recently analysed mobile network experience across the two main mobile network operators in Libya — Al-Madar and Libyana — over a period of 90 days beginning June 1, 2020 to see how they compare.

Al-Madar has achieved that rare feat of winning all of the national awards outright — and in some measures of the mobile experience by an impressive margin. For example, it commanded a 12.8 point (22.8%) lead over Libyana on Voice App Experience, led on Upload Speed Experience by a margin of 27.8% and was seven percentage points ahead of its rival on 4G Availability.

While many of the scores observed by Libyan users are modest by international standards, it should be noted that both Al-Madar and Libyana have been making rapid progress — progress that is all the more remarkable for taking place against the backdrop of a civil war. This was recently illustrated by the news back in August that Al-Madar had succeeded in restoring mobile services to the city of Sirte, which had been without them for three months in the wake of its capture by the rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) and its subsequent clashes with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.

Here is a video that summarises the state of mobile networks in Libya