Cuban state telecom agency Etecsa has given approval for the country’s first public wireless hub to be opened. The hub will be operated at artist Kcho’s cultural centre. Kcho has a strong relationship with the Cuban government. He is paying around $900 per month to run his own government-approved web connection.
It’s estimated that just 5-25% of Cubans have any access to the internet, with connections being remarkably expensive. An hour of net access at a café can cost the equivalent of a week’s wages for most Cubans. The centre was opened in January, with Kcho offering free internet in an attempt to help Cubans become familiar with the internet.
It’s thought that sculptor Kcho is the only artist the Cuban government would allow to run a public Wi-Fi service. The move is being seen as a significant milestone for Cuba, with experts predicting that the government will be using this initiative to test the water before rolling out similar projects. Users have found ways to access business Wi-Fi connections without permission, whilst some illegal networks are in operation in Havana. The country still needs to find a way to reduce costs and increase the amount of connections in private homes before it can even start to catch up with other countries.
Cuba’s existing internet infrastructure has been described as virtually non-existent, despite undersea cable between Venezueala and the island being completed in 2013. Relations between Cuba and the US have thawed over recent years, with President Obama expressing a desire to enhance telecommunications in the country. Netflix recently launched a Cuban service.
