According CubaNet, an employee of Cuba’s state owned telecommunications monopoly (ETECSA) said “they are expected to begin marketing Internet access via Wi-Fi for Cubans on January 15th of next year.”
The article further explains that “Wilfredo Guanche, an employee of ETECSA in Havana, told CubaNet that any Cuban citizen (naturalized person in legal terms) may, at the offices of ETECSA, obtain Internet service via Wi-Fi. The price in convertible currency (CUC) would be similar to the service we offer in more than 140 navigation rooms enabled since 2012…at 4.50 CUC (US $4.30) per hour. “
While the “open internet” issue continues to be raised, very few Cubans have only “sporadic Internet access”, primarily at institutions or research centers such as the University of Information Sciences (UCI). This meager ration of internet service forces hundreds of young people with smartphones to “take by assault” Internet access at hotels like the Parque Central, Saratoga or El Nacional. At the latter, it often becomes impossible to access Wi-Fi due to “excessive traffic.”
To read more about what you can do to help “Connect Cuba,” click here.
To read the full article (Spanish), click here.