Since then, the country has taken important steps. Telecommunications networks were expanded, available capacity increased and successive price reductions were applied. Connectivity improved and reached more people, although the growth in demand now raises the need to continue expanding and modernizing infrastructure.
To understand this evolution we must look beyond the service that the user receives. It is also necessary to know how their telecommunications networks have been built and what role they played GITGEthe company in charge of managing said process.
The origin of the transformation
It all started in 2011, when Equatorial Guinea decided to firmly bet on fiber optics and the connection to international submarine cables. That same year, the CEIBA-1 cable came into operation, connecting Malabo and Bata, and GITGE was created to manage the new public telecommunications infrastructure.
A year later, the country was connected to the ACE international submarine cable, which links the African coast to Europe. This step made it possible to reduce dependence on the satellite and have greater capacity and speed. On that basis, a national fiber network was built that connected the main cities and other strategic points. Over time, new infrastructure was incorporated, such as the CEIBA-2 cable, new stations, nodes and other technical points from which GITGE manages the network and offers capacity to international operators and companies.
The role of GITGE, builder and manager of the network
The creation of GITGE marked a before and after. The entity functions as a wholesale manager of telecommunications infrastructure. Their job is not to sell services directly to the end user, but to offer transport capacity, data transit, fiber to the home and other technical resources to operators, companies and administrations.
Its function can be compared to that of a digital highway. The company makes the necessary infrastructure and capacity available to operators to transport data. It is these operators who design and sell their offers, manage the service and serve the end customer.. Therefore, the quality perceived by the user does not depend only on the available infrastructure, but also on how each operator manages the capacity it contracts and distributes among its clients.
Keeping this network operational is a technically complex task that requires permanent supervision, specialized maintenance, coordination and the ability to respond to any incident, in addition to the protocols of a critical infrastructure.
A decade marked by a key figure
Behind a good part of this transformation is the name of the Dr. Oscar Ondowho recently concluded his time as general director of GITGE after a decade linked to the construction of Equatorial Guinea’s digital infrastructure. Being a telecommunications engineer, his technical profile has been one of the hallmarks of long-term management.
During all these years, Ondo applied a vision of connectivity that went one step beyond simple Internet access. For him, the network had to be useful not only for mobile phones or social networks to work, but also for the country to have a real tool for diversification of the economy, greater technological sovereignty and new possibilities for the Equatorial Guinean population or residents in its territory.
With his departure, a key figure leaves, but leaves GITGE consolidated as a company in charge of managing a strategic state asset. The company’s evolution reflects this change: from a construction and deployment phase to a stage focused on maintaining and expanding capacity, so that the country can have increasingly better connectivity.
Present and future challenges
The management team now takes on the challenge of sustaining a network that cannot afford interruptions and that runs through especially demanding environmentsfrom jungle areas to areas affected by extreme weather. It is about guaranteeing continuity, safety and quality in an infrastructure that is essential for the functioning of this country.
From the commercial area, it is considered a priority to continue expanding capacity and at the same time contain costs so that operators offer cheaper rates to the public.
The infrastructure built during these years is now the foundation on which the country can continue to develop its digital economy.
Added to this is the impact it has had in sectors such as education, banking, public administration and business services, where Connectivity has made it possible to streamline processes, open new opportunities and improve communication between the population. In parallel, the deployment of this network has reinforced the country’s integration into the regional and international digital economy.
However, having built the infrastructure does not mean that the work is done. The challenge of this new stage will be to renew it and expand its capacity to offer more stable, accessible and useful connections for the population. The digital future of Equatorial Guinea will depend, to a large extent, on how to take advantage of what has already been built.