Wine, a resident of Jlazon, expressed frustration over the situation, emphasizing that they live in Montserrado, an urban area, not a rural community.
Jlazon – Youths in Jlazon Light Community, located between Wakor and Israel Communities in the Mount Barclay belt, are climbing trees to get Lonestar Cell network, while older residents are hiking up hills to get a faint signal from the Fendell Tower to talk to family members and connect to the internet.
By Mae Azango [email protected]
During a visit to Jlazon Light Community, FrontPage Africa witnessed a young man, Junior Wine perched in a butter pear tree, attempting to find a Lonestar Cell network signal instead of picking the fruit. “I will soon switch to Orange because I cannot continue like this. I don’t understand why Lonestar, which came to Liberia long before Orange, has such poor connections in our area.”
Wine expressed frustration over the situation, emphasizing that they live in Montserrado, an urban area, not a rural community. “It is frustrating to climb a butter pear tree to fetch for signal. Sometimes, I climb a mango tree just to get a small network,” he added.
He mentioned that he and other residents have resorted to climbing trees to get a weak signal from the University of Liberia Fendell campus tower. Despite Lonestar Cell MTN’s claims of being the largest wireless communications services in Liberia, their coverage is lacking in communities beyond Mount Barclay in Montserrado County. Communities such as Jlazon, Nimba United, Iron Bridge (AKA Butt Naked Junction), Wakor, Israel, New Jerusalem, and Cannon Land all experience poor coverage.
Due to these issues, many Lonestar Cell users in these areas are considering switching to Orange GSM, which has stronger services. When contacted, a Lonestar Cell MTN employee named Foday, who is not part of the network team, promised to inform the relevant department for response, but did not follow up with FPA by press time.
Lonestar Cell MTN claims to be the largest service provider in its online posts. However, residents argue that Lonestar Cell MTN should align their claims with the reality on the ground by ensuring all communities are adequately connected.
Back in Jlazon Light Community, Junior Wine hopes to see a Lonestar tower installed in his community for easy access. “I hope to see a Lonestar tower in our community because our muscles are really getting big from climbing trees. They need to do better because every day, Lonestar Cell advertises on the radio with slogans like ‘stay connected’ and promotions, but we can’t get connected. They hurt our ears all day for nothing,” said Wine.
