Equatorial Guinea and Getesa’s six-month bet: can Huawei rescue a saturated network ? 🇬🇶 📡

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State-owned operator Getesa has signed a partnership with Huawei, China’s telecom equipment giant, to overhaul the country’s phone and internet network. The six-month program is meant to improve service quality, expand network capacity, and support Equatorial Guinea’s digital ambitions.

Rebuilding the telecom backbone 🏗️📶

The agreement, signed on July 9, 2026, kicks off a modernization program for Equatorial Guinea’s national network. It was formalized at the presidential palace in Malabo under Vice President Nguema Obiang Mangue, and comes just days after Getesa adopted its 2026-2030 strategic plan, which sets the operator’s development priorities for the years ahead.

Through this new partnership, authorities are aiming to fix a network plagued by familiar problems: frequent service interruptions, overloaded base stations, and equipment that hasn’t kept pace with rising digital demand.

Under the deal, Huawei will help Getesa optimize its existing infrastructure. Concretely, the project is meant to increase network capacity, speed up internet connections, and cut down on service interruptions. Telecom equipment will be upgraded to improve overall network performance, with the goal of delivering faster, more reliable mobile and internet service to households, businesses, and public institutions alike.

A connectivity boom straining the system 🌐📈

The modernization push responds to fast-growing demand for connectivity. According to DataReportal estimates, Equatorial Guinea had around 1.18 million internet users by the end of 2025 — a 60.4% internet penetration rate. That growth has reportedly put mounting pressure on infrastructure that was already showing cracks: a technical audit had previously flagged several shortcomings, including limited bandwidth, aging network equipment, and constrained transmission capacity.

Beyond fixing mobile and internet service, the project fits into a broader national strategy for digital infrastructure. To that end, the government plans to draw on the 2,000 kilometers of fiber-optic cable operated by the state electricity company to extend broadband coverage nationwide.

Authorities are also considering creating a dedicated company to commercially manage that infrastructure. If it works out, the modernization effort should help Equatorial Guinea strengthen the quality of its telecom services and build infrastructure better suited to the country’s growing digital transformation needs.

What do you think: are partnerships between African telecom operators and tech giants like Huawei the best way to accelerate the continent’s digital transformation? Why or why not?