Guinea is exploring a partnership with the British company Open Cosmos, which specializes in the design, manufacture, and operation of satellites. This initiative reflects a broader African trend toward leveraging space technologies to bridge the still-pronounced digital divide on the continent.
The issue was discussed on Wednesday, April 29, during a meeting between Souleymane Thianguel Bah (pictured, center) and Abou Bakr Mourched (pictured, right), Open Cosmos’s Head of Business Development. Also present was Aminata Deen Touré (pictured, left), Director General of Innovation at the Ministry. The discussions focused on the solutions developed by Open Cosmos for satellite manufacturing and deployment, as well as the opportunities they offer for connectivity and data collection. The Secretary General emphasized the strategic importance of these technologies for improving digital coverage, particularly in remote areas of the country.
A Growing Interest in Space
This rapprochement comes after Guinea had already approached the Chinese company AirSat Technology in January 2025 with a view to a partnership. This collaboration aimed, in particular, to equip the country with a satellite to facilitate large-scale data transmissions. However, no updates on the project’s progress have been released since then.
This dynamic is part of a broader trend observed across the continent. According to the GSMA, air connectivity solutions, including satellites, are expected to play a key role in achieving universal connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The region is home to some of the most challenging terrain for terrestrial networks, including rainforests, deserts, and mountain ranges. Even in rural and sparsely populated areas, the cost and complexity of deploying traditional mobile or wired networks argue in favor of alternative connectivity solutions,” the organization emphasizes in its report, “The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2024.”
A persistent digital divide
According to data from ARTP Guinea, 94.11% of Guinean localities had adequate mobile phone coverage by mid-2025. Approximately 5.89% of the population remains underserved, including 1.4% with no coverage at all.
The ITU indicates that 2G coverage reached 87.9% of the population in 2022. 3G coverage reached 81.3% in 2024, compared to 77% for 4G.
In terms of usage, the regulator reports 12.8 million mobile subscriptions by mid-2025, representing a penetration rate of 89.1%. For mobile internet, 8.28 million subscriptions are recorded, representing 57.86% of the population. However, these figures should be qualified: each SIM card is counted as one subscription, while a single user may hold several. By comparison, the ITU estimates the penetration rate at 33.3% in 2024.
Beyond network coverage
According to the GSMA, satellite connectivity is a valuable extension of terrestrial networks, but it cannot, on its own, meet the challenge of digital inclusion. In Africa, 58% of the unconnected population already lives in an area covered by mobile broadband. The challenge lies not only in access to connectivity, but also, and above all, in the ability of populations to effectively use digital services.
Affordability remains a major obstacle. The cost of equipment (smartphones, satellite receivers) and subscriptions remains out of reach for a large portion of households. Added to these constraints are persistent economic and social factors, such as limited digital literacy and a lack of content tailored to local realities, which restrict demand.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
Edited by Sèna D. B. de Sodji
May 5, 2026