Home Broadband Services Said in the Works in Cuba Erika Miranda - LatinOne
go to original February 7, 2016

A few years ago, some computer gamers based in Havana strung a small web of ethernet cables from house to house so they could play video games together. The network continued to grow quietly, and today it's called StreetNet: a bootleg internet for Havana with more than 10,000 users. (Vox)

Certain parts of Cuba are finally getting connected with the worldwide web, as the Central American government revealed plans on launching residential Internet services to homes in two areas in Havana.

According to the Associated Press as cited by the Verge, the country's state-run telecommunications company known as ETECSA, will soon be able to provide residents with Internet access in two Havana neighborhoods.

Thanks to a partnership between the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) and Chinese telecom company Huawei, fiber optic connections will soon be available to selected Cuban homes in the capital.

Among the two communities included in the pilot program is the popular tourist destination, Old Havana, which is known as the colonial center.

ETECSA Havana director Odalys Rodríguez del Toro also told the Associated Press that they will also allow establishments like cafes and restaurants to order broadband service for their customers.

He revealed that within this year, there will be a total of 30 more Wi-Fi hotspots to be opened in the Cuban capital alone.

The Havana director did not say when all this could happen, but the news is very welcome among the residents of Cuba, since they live in "one of the least connected countries" in the world, according to Mashable.

Read the rest at LatinOne

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