Cuba starts offering home internet service, but few are buying

Cuba starts offering home internet service, but few are buying
Published March 21, 2017 FoxNews.com

After a two-month pilot program, Cubans now can access the internet in
the comfort of their own homes — but prices are high and speeds
painfully slow.

So far just about 360 families have acquired the service started on March 1.

The state-provided connection is offered in packages of 30 hours per
month, with a range of prices according to the speed. For 15 CUC
(equivalent to dollars), a family gets 128 kilobytes, while on the other
end of the spectrum 2 megabytes are available for 105 CUC or one-fourth
of the average monthly salary.

Exceeding the allocated 30 hours results in an additional 1.50 CUC for
each extra hour.

Cuba is connected to only one undersea fiber-optic cable originating
in Venezuela, although it offers plenty of bandwidth given the low
number of users.

Getting to the communist island after a 50-year hiatus is surprisingly
easy. There's still a couple challenges to overcome when planning your
trip, but if you follow some simple tips your ride will be smooth.
Up until now, home connection in Cuba had been allowed only to some
professionals like diplomats and foreign journalists, and required a
governmental authorization.

The pilot program, which ran from Dec. 19 to Feb, 28, brought free
Internet connection to 858 homes in Habana Vieja.

The island started opening up to cyberspace in the summer of 2015, when
the Cuban government opened 240 public Wi-Fi spots in parks and on
street corners.

Previously, Cubans were restricted to decrepit state Internet clubs and
hotels that charged $6 to $8 for an hour of slow Internet.

Source: Cuba starts offering home internet service, but few are buying |
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