Internet Access is coming to Cuban Homes in Havana
Many of you who have visited Cuba in the last few years will no doubt have loved the food and the passion of the people, but become frustrated at the speed of the internet access and lack of availability altogether, in many locations across Cuba.
Cuba is all but a black spot when it comes to being online. Visit one of Havana’s top hotels and you may find that they actually do have internet access.
Try using it though, and you will be reminded of what trying to use the internet was like 15 years ago for most of us.
Tide of Change – Internet service is coming!
The big news coming out of Cuba is that a trial project will be starting in two suburbs in Havana, to test out broadband services, with the idea of developing a much bigger network across the island, in the coming years.
This service will then allow restaurants, bars, and cafes to provide access to patrons and will mean greater access for tourists and locals and a business opportunity for businesses in the hospitality and service sector in Havana.
At the moment it is possible for people to get WiFi access, but in WiFi hotspot areas and even here the service can be temperamental and somewhat slow.
Presently, only around 10% of Cuban people have realistic access to the Internet and this leaves Cuba as one of the least developed nations in the world in terms of Internet access.
There are roughly 100 WiFi access points across the country, with around a quarter of these based in the capital.
This new pilot study might be a small one, but it is a step in the right direction and despite the idea that Cuba will suddenly change with the recent agreements with the U.S., the pace of change towards a more democratic nation is likely in reality to be slow.
The Cuban government prefers a cautious approach and this is what we are seeing with this internet pilot study.
The Development
The Telecommunications Company of Cuba is behind this latest development, which will see a fiber optic service installed.
The big question on everybody’s lips though is – How much will access cost?
The chances are that many Cubans will be priced out of being able to go online, because of the very low average earnings for a typical Cuban.
WiFi access at the moment for one hour can cost one-tenth of a local person’s monthly income!
Tourists Access to the WiFi and the Internet in Cuba
Tourists, on the other hand, should find such a service more than affordable and a welcome resource.
Having said that, one of the strange experiences I actually had when I visited Cuba last time, was that it was almost a welcome relief to escape the internet for 10 days!
If you can view a vacation of holiday in Cuba as a chance for a digital detox then it might be a good way to view it.
Imagine a holiday where you spend time actually enjoying live music, the people, the foods, and the culture in general without digital distraction.
The problem though for many of us and perhaps for you too is that we need to do business online.
Connecting with Family
Nevertheless, a future internet service site-wide and an affordable one, one which, for example, would enable citizens to chat on a service such as Skype video with their families in locations such as the U.S and Canada, would be one welcomed by many.
The recent lifting of the ban on U.S. telecommunications companies from operating in Cuba, by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has opened up the opportunity for significant investment for the coming future from U.S. telecoms businesses.
