## 2 Analysis of Available Communication Infrastructure in the Gulf of Guinea  
Connection between remote sites and C2 centers may be established in the following ways (the most common are listed):  
* Fixed line telephony
* Fixed broadband technologies
* Mobile telephony
* Microwave links and
* Satellite links  
According to the World Bank report [25], fixed telephone penetration in the Gulf of Guinea peaked in the early 2010s and since then it is in constant decline. As it can be seen from Figure 1, even when it was at the highest level, the penetration reached barely 5 percent and only in one country (Cameron), while the penetration in majority of the countries in the region was less than 2%. From the aforementioned it is clear that fixed telephony cannot be chosen as a primary communication network for maritime sensor network in this part of the World, especially when it comes to uninhabited and inaccessible areas. According to the same source [26], fixed broadband technologies situation is even more devastating, since penetration in all countries in the region is less than 1% (see Figure 2). One may argue that fixed broadband in the region is not generally available to the public, and that only large companies (mostly oil) possess access to fixed broadband of sufficient capacity. Although in some cases this is completely true, there are multiple  
Figure 1: Fixed telephony penetration in the Gulf of Guinea (based on data available from [25]). reasons why company owned lines cannot be used as primary communication backbone for the maritime sensor network. The first and foremost is that in that manner the complete national maritime sensor network would be dependent on the privately owned foreign company, if indeed the company wants to grant or code its capacities to the country. Secondly, those companies developed the network for their own purposes in the areas of interest, i.e., from the major population centers to their operations. Taking into account that HFSWRs are located away from both, it is clear why these networks cannot be used as a primary communication network for the maritime sensor network. Mobile telephony might represent an optimal solution, since no additional infrastructure is needed which makes deployment costs literally negligible. Moreover, since a single HFSWR does not require high data rates (approximately 128 kb/s is quite enough) and total data-transfer is around 5 GB on a monthly basis, any currently available mobile network would be suitable as a primary communication network. Furthermore, in many countries there are state owned or controlled mobile operators, so data security should be at a very good level as well. Despite very good penetration [27], which is constantly rising (see Figure 3), mobile telephony is not available in the entire countries, especially in scarcely inhabited areas. In the present days, a mobile telephony network still cannot be selected as a primary communication network for the maritime sensor network in this part of the World. However, in the future, as it penetrates scarcely populated areas in the region, it may become the best option. Communication network built with microwave (MW) links as a means of connectivity between HFSWR sites and C2s should be the most reliable and safest way. Yet, on the other hand, the costs of deployment are very high, which limits its usefulness. Taking into account that majority of the countries in the region are not in a position to further raise the maritime sensor network deployment costs, it is clear why it is not suitable here. Figure 2: Fixed Broadband penetration in the Gulf of Guinea (based on data available from [26]). As the last means, there is a satellite link. The main advantages of the satellite links are increased coverage area, easy deployment and cost-effective communication solution. Although this solution may look appealing, it also has few downsides. First and foremost is the security issue, since the whole maritime sensor network is dependent on the third party (link provider).