Cellular (Cuban market)

2023: Internet speed drops to historic low

In mid-February 2023, Cable specialists published a report stating that the Internet speed in Cuba fell to a historic low, and the country topped the list of states with the slowest Internet in Latin America.

According to Reuters, citing a study, the low speed of Internet access, which has dropped to a historic low, caused outrage among many residents of the island, who say that this affects both work and entertainment. IT specialist Jorge Noris said that he began waking up at odd hours, when most Cubans are still sleeping and not working to upload their content to online servers. Cubans like Noris have little choice. The five-gigabyte film, which downloads in just over 5 minutes in the United States, loads in 3.5 hours in Cuba, according to Cable research.

In mid-February 2023, Cable specialists published a report stating that the Internet speed in Cuba fell to a historic low

In Cuba, the state telecommunications company ETECSA is a monopoly. Internet is only available at airports, high-end hotels and government communication centers. ETECSA chief Tania Velazquez told Cuban state media in late 2022 that a significant increase in users in 2022 had caused an already dilapidated infrastructure in need of modernization to decline. This contributed to a 63% increase in traffic volume, she said, while noting that as a result of the recession of the Cuban economy, it is impossible to update vital technologies at the same pace.

Some sites for February 2023, including some MEDIA, not available from Cuba without the use of virtual private networks (), VPN which encrypt data and hide the user's location, allowing him to bypass censorship. As a result, according to the national statistics agency ONEI, in 2021 alone, Cuba's revenues from exports telecommunication and information services in dollars fell by 80% compared to a peak of $8 billion in 2020.

After widespread anti-government protests in Cuba in July 2021, US President Joe Biden promised that his government would work to make the Internet more accessible to Cubans. However, in 2022, the Biden administration proposed abandoning a plan to lay a new underwater telecommunications cable in Cuba that would significantly increase capacity, citing US national security concerns.^[1]

2018: 3G and mobile internet launch

In early December 2018, a 3G network was launched in Cuba to access mobile Internet. However, the popularity of the service is questionable given the country's small salaries.

State telecommunication operator Etecsa activated mobile data on 3G networks on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. The launch is carried out gradually over three days to avoid network congestion. The service was tested during the year, in August 2018, Cubans opened free mobile Internet for the day.

Only in December 2018, mobile Internet was launched in Cuba

According to Cuban portal Cibercuba, by early December 2018, Etecsa is offering several mobile internet plans. The cheapest among them costs $1 per month with a traffic limit of 600 MB. For $10, you can buy a tariff with the ability to download data 1 GB of data without surcharges. Tariffs with included traffic for 2.5 and 4 GB cost $20 and $30, respectively. For each megabyte of data downloaded on the mobile Internet over the traffic provided for by the contract, you will have to pay 10 cents or $10 per 100 MB.

In August 2018, 1,400 active base stations in Cuba were reported, of which 520 supported 3G technology, to which smartphones can connect using 900 MHz.

Cuba is among the countries with the lowest number of Internet users, but their number is gradually growing. In 2013, a network of state Internet cafes was launched there, and in 2017 thousands of Wi-Fi points in parks and other public places were launched in the country. At the same time, the Cuban authorities are blocking sites calling for a change in the political system on the island.

By December 2018, about half of the 11.2 million people in Cuba use mobile phones, but not everyone can afford mobile Internet. The average salary in Cuba is about $30 per month.^[2]

2010:1 million subscribers out of 11 million residents

The number of mobile subscribers in Cuba in 2010 exceeded 1 million people. This was announced at a press conference by the vice-president of the mobile communications department of the state telecommunications company Etecsa, Maximo la Fuente.

The representative of Etecsa noted that 1 million subscribers are an "extremely low indicator" for the Caribbean republic, whose population exceeds 11.2 million people. "It is necessary to continue growth," he stressed.

In 2010, Etecsa significantly reduced the cost of connection - from 111 convertible pesos (about $120) to 40 ($43.6), which allowed expanding the client base by another 160 thousand people. At the same time, the average salary in the country is about $20. By 2015, Etecsa expects to reach 2.5 million subscribers.

2008: Lifting the ban on the use of cellular communications for citizens

In 2008, the Cuban authorities lifted the ban on the use of cellular communications for local residents, which, coupled with the flexible tariff policy of Etecsa, made it possible to increase the number of subscribers by 700 thousand in little more than two years.

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