Cuba wants to increase internet access via WiFi and make it cheaper

The Cuban government has announced it will place more Wi-Fi hotspots in government-controlled Internet cafes. The rates that Cubans have to pay will also be halved, although internet access remains unaffordable for most citizens.

Juventud newspaper published the government decision this week. In it, the communist government announces that Wi-Fi internet access will be available in 35 government-run Internet cafes across Cuba from next month. Prices are also significantly reduced: instead of $ 4.50 per hour, converted approximately 4 euros, the hourly rate drops to $ 2.50, reports AP news agency.

Despite the fact that such rates are still unaffordable for most Cubans – an average Cuban earns about 15 to 20 euros per month, but receives many services and products for free or almost free – Cuba experts consider this a significant step. is. Until now, Wi-Fi was only available to tourists in hotels and illegally for ordinary Cubans. Companies also have very limited access to the internet and the government also applies censorship. In recent years, however, the population has developed an ‘offline internet’ by, among other things, exchanging media files via portable hard drives, as The Guardian described last year.

So far, the Cuban government has mainly pointed the evil finger at the American boycott for the lack of internet connectivity in the country, but the communist rulers also fear that the internet could undermine their position. However, with the detente between Cuba and the US earlier this year, the government promised to improve internet access. The decision to significantly increase the number of Wi-Fi hotspots and lower the rates can therefore be seen as an important first step.