Cuba to expand ​internet access to battle country's dire lack of connectivity

Cuba to expand ​internet access to battle country's dire lack of
connectivity
Thirty-five new Wi-Fi points with low usage costs will be a notable step
in making online life easier in one of the world's least-connected countries
Associated Press in Havana
Thursday 18 June 2015 16.14 BST Last modified on Thursday 18 June 2015
16.19 BST

Cuba has announced plans to expand internet access by adding Wi-Fi
capacity to dozens of state-run internet centers and more than halving
the cost that users pay for an hour online.

The announcement published in Thursday's edition of the newspaper
Juventud Rebelde is the first significant expansion of the internet in
Cuba since President Barack Obama said on 17 December that the communist
government had told him it would give its people more access as part of
a historic detente between the cold war enemies.

The spokesman for Cuba's state communications company told the newspaper
that 35 government computer centers around the country would have Wi-Fi
starting next month, and the price of one hour online would drop to $2
from $4.50 now.

That price remains unaffordable for most Cubans but the change would
represent a significant improvement in access for many people.


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Home internet remains illegal for most of the Cuban population and
online access at offices with internet is highly limited and controlled.
Until now, the only Wi-Fi network has been at tourist hotels at hourly
prices that represent nearly a quarter of the average monthly salary for
Cubans.

"The internet space is opening up here and I think this is a significant
step," said Norges Rodríguez, a blogger and telecommunications engineer
in Havana. "A year or two ago, we didn't have anything like this."

Cuba's lack of internet access remains dire, he pointed out, saying 35
new Wi-Fi points would be insignificant in any other country in the
hemisphere.

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Critics say Cuba's lack of connectivity is due largely to its fear that
the internet will catalyze social unrest. The Cuban government blames
the US embargo on the island and has publicly expressed its intention to
expand access for its citizens.

There have been hints of the government following through slowly on that
promise in recent months. The state communications monopoly, Etecsa, has
experimented with a temporary price cut to $2, and the artist Kcho
garnered much attention by opening a free, government-sanctioned Wi-Fi
connection for the public at his Havana arts center.

Making the price cut permanent, and adding dozens of Wi-Fi hotspots
allowing people to use their own smartphones, tablets and laptops at
state centers instead of antiquated government computers, would be a
notable step in making online life easier in one of the world's
least-connected countries.

Many Cubans, particularly young people in the capital, are as
technologically adept as their peers in more-connected countries,
despite severe limits on their ability to obtain technology. The latest
iPhone is a surprisingly common sight in Havana, and there are hundreds
of privately run mobile-phone stores where people can buy and repair
equipment and get applications installed on their phone directly from
technicians' computers instead of the internet.

Outside Havana, the situation is far tougher, with far fewer cellphones
in private hands, let alone smartphones, and a mere handful of centers
to get online, even in major cities.

Source: Cuba to expand ​internet access to battle country's dire lack of
connectivity | World news | The Guardian -
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/18/cuba-to-expand-internet-access-to-battle-countrys-dire-lack-of-connectivity