When Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information announced that One Mobile had become the first 5G mobile service provider, many industry observers took notice. Not just because of what it meant for the region, but because it went into service in under three months.
Read on to learn how this was achieved.
The Challenge: Launch 5G in an Emerging Market Quickly
Rasab Group, the group of companies behind the One Mobile brand, had an ambitious goal: to launch Sierra Leone’s first 5G data network. The country’s broadband penetration sat at just 20.7%. The opportunity was clear, but so were the obstacles.
5G launches are complex. Mobile operators typically spend 12 to 18 months integrating mobile core networks with billing systems, provisioning platforms, self-care portals, and eSIM activation. Each system comes from a different vendor. Each integration takes time, and each delay costs money.
Rasab Group needed a different approach. They needed partners who could deliver a complete, pre-integrated solution quickly.
The Solution: Pre-Integrated Stack, Pre-Tested Results
Rasab Group chose to work with Wireless Technology Labs (WTL) for the 5G mobile core and PortaOne for the BSS/OCS platform. The key advantage? These systems were already pre-integrated and pre-tested together.
This wasn’t a collection of components that would need to be stitched together on-site, it was a complete solution comprising:
- WTL’s 5G Mobile Core: Carrier-grade infrastructure with a true 5G core, not an overlay on 4G infrastructure like earlier West African 5G deployments in Nigeria
- PortaBilling: Online Charging System (OCS) with real-time billing, critical for prepaid markets
- Cloud-based NSPS Provisioning: Automatic subscriber provisioning to the mobile core with built-in error handling
- Mobile Self-Care Portal: Customer-facing app for account management
- eSIM Activation: Fully integrated, removing the need for separate vendor integration
Since PortaOne parts ran in the cloud, there was no need to wait for hardware shipments or data center setup.
Why This Matters for Prepaid Markets
In markets like Sierra Leone, prepaid services dominate. Customers expect real-time charging so that when their balance reaches zero, data usage stops immediately, and when they top up, data usage must resume without delay.
Delivering this experience requires exceptionally reliable provisioning. Each top-up must be propagated to the mobile core in real time. If provisioning fails, customers are unable to use services they’ve already paid for..
PortaOne’s cloud-based NSPS (Network Subscriber Provisioning Service) handles this automatically, including retransmissions and error recovery. The result: a robust system where practically every provisioning event is resolved without human touch.
The Timeline: From Introduction to Launch
Below is the overall timeline of the project. Notably, the project progressed from first introduction to commercial launch in 83 days, during which the mobile core on-site to service activation phase took just 12 days.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| April 9 | Teams introduced (WTL, Rasab Group, PortaOne) |
| April 14 – May 26 | Discovery phase: project definition, planning, product mapping |
| May 14 – 16 | PortaBilling is deployed in the cloud and tested |
| May 28 | Branded mobile self-care portal deployed |
| June 12 | Mobile self-care app ready for testing |
| June 19 | Full mobile core on-site; app store permission granted |
| June 27 – July 1 | Mobile core connectivity and online charging tests were successful |
| July 1 | Service activations begin: One Mobile is live |
What Made This Possible
Pre-Integration Eliminates the Hard Work
WTL’s mobile core and PortaBilling were already tested together before Rasab Group entered the picture. When provisioning occurs, be it a new subscriber activation, a bundle purchase, or a top-up, the systems communicate without custom integration work.
eSIM Without the Headache
One Mobile offers both physical SIM and eSIM. Typically, integrating with an eSIM SM-DP+ provider requires a dedicated development effort, approximately 10 person-days to build the integration, followed by one to two person-days per month for ongoing support. PortaOne handles this integration, so Rasab Group didn’t have to build or maintain it themselves.
eWallet in Days, Not Months
eWallet is central to Sierra Leone’s economy, making seamless integration with regional mobile money providers essential. To support this, One Mobile needed to accept payments from regional eWallet providers including Vult. Using PortaBilling’s OpenAPI, these integrations were completed in just a few days.
Cloud deployment = Fast Deployment
The BSS, OCS, provisioning system, and self-care portal all run in the cloud. No waiting for hardware procurement. No datacenter build-out. This is a major reason why the deployment moved so quickly.
The Result: A Regional First
On July 1, 2025, One Mobile began accepting customers. The Sierra Leone Ministry of Information and Civic Education highlighted the uniqueness of the event.
The launch of Sierra Leone’s and West Africa’s first 5G standalone mobile service provider, One Mobile. We are positioning the nation at the forefront of regional digital transformation.
Sierra Leone Ministry of Information and Civic Education
One Mobile is a data-focused operator for high-speed 5G internet access. They offer physical SIM cards, eSIMs, pocket MiFi devices, routers, and private enterprise 5G connectivity for IoT applications.
For a country where only about one in five people have broadband access, this is more than a technology milestone. It’s infrastructure for economic growth.
What Comes Next
Launching fast is just the beginning. In autumn 2025, PortaOne rolled out its AI Datalink service for One Mobile, providing data-driven insights about customer behavior. This helps Rasab Group make smarter decisions about network capacity, pricing, and new service offerings.
The WTL and PortaOne partnership isn’t just about speed to launch. It’s about having the right foundation to grow.
Key Takeaways
- 83 days from team introduction to commercial launch
- 12 days from mobile core on-site to service activation
- Sierra Leone’s first 5G mobile service provider
- Pre-integrated mobile core, billing, provisioning, and eSIM activation
Ready to Launch Your 5G Network?
If you’re planning a 5G launch, whether greenfield or migration, the WTL and PortaOne partnership offers a proven path to market. Pre-integrated, cloud-deployed, and built for prepaid-dominant markets.
