From the Islands to the Andes: Connectivity in one of the ‘wildest’ places on Earth
by Jessica Denson, Communications Director
Quito, Ecuador (September 18, 2024) – I recently returned from a vacation in Ecuador.
It’s a sentence I never really thought I’d write. Mostly because I’d never considered the country as one of my top vacation destinations. But a good deal from an international tour company caught my eye, and I decided to try something different.
I love to travel and pride myself on being a “world citizen,” but I must admit I knew very little about Ecuador when I boarded my plane.
I usually do a LOT of research before travelling, but all of us at Connected Nation have been extremely busy this year, including the Communications team. So, I neglected much of my normal prep time — I even put off packing until the day before I left. (You guys — that’s scandalous for me!)
My point? I was taking a chance and planning to rely heavily on what I hoped would be at least some connectivity. Particularly, the travel company’s app and, with luck, internet at hotels or cafes.
My phone carrier had already warned me that coverage would be spotty in the Galapagos Islands and in parts of the Amazon jungle. That’s not too surprising when you consider that Ecuador doesn’t even have a postal service — something I learned days after I arrived.
Sea lions, blue footed boobies, monkeys … and the internet
One thing everyone should know about Ecuador is that it is one of most biodiverse places on the planet.
According to the Think Galapagos website, there are more than 25,000 species of plants, equating to about 10% of the world’s plant species.
In addition, there are 1,632 species of birds, 492 species of amphibians, and 398 species of mammals. Many of those species are found nowhere else in the world. In fact, it’s where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution. He studied the different kinds of finches from the Galapagos Islands. (The locals are quick to point the little birds out.)
This is in a country that’s about the size of Arizona!
That biodiversity can be credited to the range of distinct regions and climates within its borders. The Andes mountain range runs right through the middle of Ecuador. Its capital city of Quito sits along the Equator and is the highest capital city in the world.
There is the Amazon rainforest, the Pacific Ocean shoreline along the mainland, snow-capped volcanos, glaciers, what they refer to as “cloud forests,” and of course, the Galapagos Islands — once called “the Enchanted Isles” because of the mists that would envelop them and make them “disappear.”
It’s an incredibly vibrant and wild country filled with stunning flora and fauna, and Ecuadorians work hard at protecting it, especially so after the story of Lonesome George was told around the world.
He was the last known Pinta Island tortoise in existence — a subspecies of large land tortoises. Lonesome George was once known as the rarest creature in the world. He was about 102 years old when he died on June 24, 2012, and his remains sit encased in a large glass box in a temperature-controlled room on Santa Cruz Island. It’s a somber reminder of what can happen if we’re not vigilant.
Ecuadorians are just that. They are vigilant about protecting the natural world around them.
For example, when you land on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos, the airline workers open all overhead bins and spray them to keep microbes from entering the islands. Also, specially trained dogs go over your luggage before you can touch it. That is after it was already scanned and tagged on the mainland.
There are a limited number of people who can even live on the islands, and they warn you over and over and over again not to touch the wildlife, or you’ll be back on a plane home.
Gentle giants: Jessica Denson is pictured above with one of the giant land tortoises that roam Santa Cruz Island. They move into the Highlands of the island during the winter months. They love the vegetation and mud puddles. Jessica is about six feet behind this big fella.
So, imagine the challenges of connecting this part of the world to the internet?
You must not interfere with protected and endangered wildlife. The geography is challenging and different in each part of the country. There are large cities. Small towns. Tiny villages along rivers. Schools stuck in valleys or tops of mountains. Even tiny “hotels” that are made up of a series of thatched huts — like the one I stayed in while in the Amazon (see hut photo).
But even there — in the middle of the jungle — I had a connection. I had to login to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, but it was there. Same thing on the islands.
After a day warding off way-too-friendly sea lions — the juveniles are super curious and want to swim and hang out with you — spotting blue-footed boobies, swimming with sea turtles, or walking next to giant land tortoises, it was surreal to login to the internet and share photos with my friends and family back home in the states.
In case you’re curious, What’s App is the communications app most people use in foreign countries. It’s not really the “it” app in the United States, but around the globe, it’s a safe way to interact. Even though there was an official tour company app, What’s App was how our little, 13-person tour group got updates from our tour guide and the company.
If Ecuador can get connected, then so can we
It’s critical that Ecuadorians get broadband access for many of the same reasons as Americans. It means connecting to important resources for education, community, and more. Plus, tourism is an important part of the economy — and we all know having a website or internet access for bookings and payments is a big part of that.
The country is trying hard to rebuild its tourism sector to pre-COVID levels. According to WorldData.info, tourism generated $2.29 billion for Ecuador in 2019, which was 2.1% of the gross national product. In 2021, tourist receipts were sitting at half that at $1.1 billion.
In fact, one of tour guides in the Amazon made a point several times to remind us to “tell all your American friends and family that we are a safe place to visit. Plus, we have great food, good people, and lots of animals to see.”
It must be said — if Ecuador can connect its most-remote regions, so can the United States. We really don’t have any excuses. Yes, our land is diverse. Yes, we have lots of amazing wildlife, some that also needs protection. However, we’re among the lucky, and the United States’ resources are much more extensive when compared with the Latin America country.
If I can sit on a beach in the Galapagos and call my family or send a picture from a hut in the Amazon — then surely we can make that a reality everywhere in our country.
Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation … and a connected world.
