The Two Faces of Cuba’s Wi-Fi Services

Luis Rondon Paz

HAVANA TIMES — Some months ago, ETECSA, Cuba’s telecommunications monopoly, set up a number of pay-for Wi-Fi hot spots around the country, allegedly aimed at greater public Internet use. This has resulted in incomes above what the company had predicted.

“This is the best! I can speak with my sister in Canada and I pay a lot less than the 4 CUC per minute they charge for phone calls. With that same amount, I can chat with her for nearly two hours!” Luis Alejandro told Havana Times while sitting on the curb in front of the Habana Libre Hotel with his cell phone.

“There are five official Wi-Fi hotspots in Havana. These are located at La Rampa, the Marianao Amphitheater, Parque 51 in La Lisa, the Fe del Valle park at the intersection of Galiano and San Rafael and part of the main road in the Villa Panamericana,” Daimi explained over the phone at 118, a new number for complaints and customer information related to Wi-Fi services.

According to Daimi, the Wi-Fi networks operating in open areas can withstand between 50 and 100 users, depending on the antenna in use. This means that the higher number of users, the more difficult it is to connect to the network.

When asked whether foreigners who are not residents of Cuba could purchase Nauta pre-paid cards, she explained that they can do so without any difficulties and that they can even set up a permanent account at the same price than any Cuban natural.

“One of the problem’s we’ve been trying to solve has to do with the 2 CUC pre-paid cards. We get many calls a day from customers who are unable to access the Internet or disconnect from the network,” Yeidi, another 118 operator commented, adding that, when Wi-Fi services were offered in closed spaces, many people complained because they had not been logged off from the network and lost their credit this way. According to the ETECSA operator, the problem was solved months ago.

Wi-Fi at Hotels

“In the case of hotels, access is restricted to guests owing to the high demand and, in some cases, limited use of the service is requested of users,” an employee of Havana’s Capri hotel who asked to remain anonymous remarked, adding that the policies implemented by some hotels to guarantee quality Wi-Fi services work to a certain extent, as people outside the hotel are connecting to the network and undermining the quality of the service directly. “The problem is that the demand continues to be far higher than the offer, I don’t know what ETECSA was thinking when it failed to take this into account!” he concluded.

What the Media Are Saying

Several Internet sites have published the concerns of Cubans with regards to massive Internet use. Cuba’s official TV even devoted a Cuba Dice (“Cuba Says”) segment to the issue. The report criticized the terrible planning evinced by ETECSA, which failed to provide comfort for its customers, despite the high demand for the service, as well as the superficial replies offered by some of its executives in this connection.

Tablets, Laptops and Cell Phones: Easy Prey?

“Buddy, of the five Wi-Fi hot spots they’ve set up in Havana, the best are the ones at La Rampa and San Rafael and Galeano. But be careful, ‘cause, if they set their sights on you, you’re easy prey for them. They go after you and you can lose something more important than your cell or tablet, which, incidentally, isn’t peanuts,” said Idalberto, a craftsman who would rather pay 5 or 10 extra CUCs at the bar of a hotel, where he claims he has more privacy, comfort and safety.

A Good Idea, In Theory…

“Man, the thing is, there’s barely any information out there. Better said, there’s no information of any kind. At ETECSA offices, all they do is charge you and send you on your away. Now, just ask yourself this: who can afford to pay 50 Cuban pesos (US $2.50) every time they connect to the Internet?” asked Javier Alvarez, a resident of Sancti Spiritus vacationing in Havana. He added that, if these offices lack the competent personal to inform the public about Wi-Fi services, they shouldn’t have opened in the first place.

Paranoia, Safety and Will Power

“The permanent account is there to control you. This is the only country in the world that asks you to fill out a form to open a permanent email and Internet account. I use a one or five-hour prepaid card. There’s no way I’m opening a permanent Nauta account!” said Javier, a self-employed person living in Vedado. He criticized the new Wi-Fi services as a short-term solution, another way of keeping people distracted and hold back development.

According to Javier, the other side of Wi-Fi services is the lack of an objective will by the government to undertake measures that will make a real and effective contribution to increasing Internet access in Cuba. He added that, through the web, many services could be set up to help recover the initial investment in the short term.

“The Cuban economy could grow significantly by eliminating the bureaucratic obstacles that hold back the private sector and the development of ITCs, as well as encouraging responsible and free access to the worldwide web. At these times of change we’re going through, this is important; if it fails to take advantage of its human capital, because of the arrogance or incompetence of its leaders, the country will be increasingly at risk of falling into the hands of those giant technological monopolies that they have so often criticized,” he sentenced.

According to unofficial sources, ETECSA is planning to gradually install dozens of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Havana.