Ndiho Media

By Paul Ndiho, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

August 26, 2012

As the information age continues to gather pace, fiber optic cables connecting Africa with the rest of the world are making high speed internet access more widely available on the continent. Chatting on Facebook , Twitting or using Skype over the internet is something taken for granted in the United States and other western countries, but in here in Equatorial Guinea, like in most Africa countries it has not been possible because of slow and patchy internet services, relying heavily on limited and expensive satellite links.

Here in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s Capital , this public park has become a Hot Spot.  Teenagers from different parts of the city frequent the park to surf the net because of free WiFi. They say that  its cheaper to use  and faster  and that its transforming their way of life and how they communicate with each other and the rest of the world. Santos and other young people say this free WIFI access is making a difference.
“This is the first I’ve come here but usually children from all over the place come here for free WiFi.”
“There are very few places where you go and there is free WiFi or Internet access. I was actually shocked, I came to this public park and i saw quite a number of young people with there laptops, ipads, tablets trying to take advantage of the free internet.”

“This is the first I’ve come here but usually children from all over the place come here for free WiFi.”
“There are very few places where you go and there is free WiFi or Internet access. I was actually shocked, I came to this public park and i saw quite a number of young people with there laptops, ipads, tablets trying to take advantage of the free internet.”
According to research commissioned by ESET, almost half of internet users worldwide connect to the web using portable devices as the primary connection device: notebooks or laptops are the most popular 41 percent, followed by notebooks – three percent, smart phones, two percent, and tablets -one percent. This is indicative of the demand for wi-fi hotspots.
Technology experts note that Wireless technology may be convenient, especially for travelers since wi-fi hot spots are plentiful, but users should guard against criminals prowling networks. For these teenagers, the sky is the limit.