The Digital Desert: Inside Equatorial Guinea’s Struggle for Internet Access
Equatorial Guinea is described as a digital desert due to the internet’s high cost, slow speeds, and limited availability. Internet access began in 1997 via a France-backed connection, and by 2010 only about 2% of the population were internet users. GETESA, the state-dominated operator, held about 60% ownership with Orange S.A. around 40%, and controlled international gateways via GITGE. HiTs Telecom launched Green Com (Muni) around 2011, and GECOMSA was created in 2012 to expand competition. Equatorial Guinea connected to the ACE submarine cable in 2012, and domestic Ceiba-1 and Ceiba-2 cables linked the mainland Rio Muni with Bioko. Internet