The internet has changed the world, as we know it. With fast connections and capable devices, whatever information you need is just a click away. Unfortunately, you need more than one click in several countries; patience is also needed.
In countries with the slowest internet speeds, it will take days to download high definition videos successfully. Unfortunately, most of these countries are in Africa. Internet speed and the cost of accessing the internet are the main limitations for business, and for Africa, internet connections are limited by lower penetration rates compared to other parts of the world.
Measured parameters such as the number of ISP subscriptions, the total number of hosts, IXP-traffic, and the overall available bandwidth all indicate that Africa is behind the "digital divide".
When a 4G internet connection is launched, it promises a fast internet connection, much better than 3G. Its speed, however, is still lagging in Africa compared to other continents. Then 4G LTE appeared that promised a faster connection, and the story was the same.
The speed gap places the five fastest countries more than 40 times faster than the five slowest countries in the internet.
Singapore ranked first with its broadband speed to 55.13 megabits per second (Mbps) league while war-torn Guinea-Bissau became the last with an average speed of only 0.34 Mbps.
Overall 189 countries were ranked and 39 African countries were part of the global ranking.
None of the 39 countries in Africa reached an average speed above 10Mbps, which is a UK telecommunications regulator; Ofcom's considers the minimum speed needed by consumers to participate effectively in a digital society.
Cajutel is about to provide Internet access to solar energy to people living in rural and remote areas of Guinea-Bissau.
With its cajutel project using solar technology to provide the Internet to the masses, the project could, if implemented, extend online connectivity to millions of people in Guinea-Bissau. With over 1.9 million people, where only 2% of people have an Internet connection and use the Internet for work, 98% of the population is still offline due to lack of speed and extremely high prices . Internet connectivity around the world continues to grow and many people are enjoying the benefits of the Internet.