NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QQ9JXNMN1WTZ8Mr9HAnDb0Vs14b8MF/WmZgv7eMJbAfy0EyrTj0PwzMzs8Qnyh1BCqYsmAQUvpvJwoAOAUKlszVz0=NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QQPYBT9MDCD6MXFQWcmpWgD+IU4q/wuZh8j52YlCbvuC37WP9OAWIu9FpOQKU94E/a1v+Z2jkNVEF0oaV1m3QLy+s=
Cuba has notoriously bad internet — here's what it's like to use
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QSFZK4GECFCGK68fDHRlQWFnran+k7knGklWfX4EnrVg5uhJeNfxqPk+XlhBxT0sya81fI8FjFLY9sfPTbXfSLQiI=
Cuba has notoriously bad Internet. It's slow, expensive
for the local population to use, and primarily provided through
crowded government-approved Wi-Fi hotspots.
I traveled to Cuba last year and found that, in order
to get internet, you need to buy scratch-off cards that give
you a pre-determined amount of time on the approved Wi-Fi
hotspots.
The government is trying to increase access to the
internet for citizens and signed a deal in 2016 with Google to
add local servers, but increased access may result in more
censorship.
It's not exactly a secret that Cuba has notoriously bad
internet.
For those travelers heading to Cuba for vacation, the lack
of internet is something to keep in mind - don't expect to be
hailing Ubers or using Google Maps to navigate when you get
lost.
All internet service in the long-stagnating island nation
is controlled by the state-owned telecom company ETSECA and
primarily provided through crowded, government-approved Wi-Fi
hotspots around the country.
Here's what it's like to use:
Paid Wi-Fi hotspots are scattered through major cities. They are instantly recognizable by the crowds of young Cubans gathered with their eyes glued to an assortment of smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
That's not a lot of internet access for a country of 11 million
people.
The Cuban government blames the country's poor internet access on
the US trade embargo, which they say has obstructed the
introduction of new network technology and prevented them from
accumulating funds to buy equipment from other nations,
according to The Associated Press. Cuba estimates that
the embargo has cost it $753.69 billion
since the US implemented it in 1960.
Critics say Cuba has poor internet by design, to prevent most
Cubans from accessing outside culture or information.
For tourists, getting online isn’t too difficult.
Head to the nearest ETSECA office - there's usually one right
next to the Wi-Fi hotspot - and purchase one of the Nauta
scratch-off internet cards for $2.
Like everything else in Cuba, be prepared to wait. I would
recommend buying a few at a time. Whether the queue is long or
short, the process is excruciatingly slow (minimum: 30 minutes to
an hour).
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
Once you have the card, scratch off the login and password on the back and join the nearest Wi-Fi network.
Enter the login information. Your phone (or tablet, or laptop) will alert you that you are joining an unsecured network. The government monitors all users — it’s the price of admission.
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
When you are done, make sure to turn off your Wi-Fi. And if you want to be extra safe, type in http://1.1.1.1/ to reach a log-out screen. Otherwise, get ready to buy another card.
If you don’t want to wait on the painfully slow line, there are a few other options.
1. Head to a hotel lobby, which will let you buy an
official internet card without the wait. If you are not a hotel
guest, they may require you to buy food or a drink in the hotel
bar or restaurant.
2. Head directly to the Wi-Fi access point. There will
inevitably locals whispering " tarjeta de internet"
(Spanish for "internet card") and willing to sell you as many as
you want for $3 each. A slight mark-up, but probably worth
avoiding the ETSECA line.
3. The final option is to find a local at the Wi-Fi access
point who has set up a personal Wi-Fi network. These internet
purveyors buy internet cards, use the internet to set up a
personal network, and then sell to as many people as possible for
$1 each. The benefit: no wait and cheaper, but you pay in
connection speed.
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
Welcome to Cuban internet!
For anyone coming from the US, the connection speed is
brutally slow. Websites, email, and messaging load fine, but
videos and multimedia take forever. Forget about live-blogging
your Cuban adventure.
That said, despite the country's repressive reputation,
very few websites are actually blocked. I had no trouble
accessing Facebook, Instagram, Google, Gmail, The New York Times,
or Business Insider (😜).
In fact, I didn't come across any websites that we're
blocked, though I didn't try to access dissident Cuba websites
like Cubanet, Diario de Cuba, Cubaencuentro, Hablemos Press, and
14ymedio, which Freedom House reports
are restricted in the country.
The Cuban internet is relatively open because access is so
limited that censorship is unnecessary, sociologist
Ted Henken told The Verge in 2015. At even $2 per hour, the price
of internet access is too high for most Cubans. About 75% of
Cubans work for the government, earning a salary of $20 to $40
per month.
Approximately 4.1% of Cubans -primarily professors,
doctors, and intellectuals - receive home internet access,
according to the International Telecommunication Union,
the United Nations specialized agency for information and
communication technologies.
The only other way to get on the internet in Cuba is at hotels, university campuses, state-run cybercafes, or the offices of ETSECA.
A government-controlled intranet is available in those locations
as well, at a considerably lower price of $0.60 per hour,
according
to Freedom House.
The intranet is limited to "a national email system, a Cuban
encyclopedia, a pool of educational materials and open-access
journals, Cuban websites, and foreign websites that are
supportive of the Cuban government," the report said.
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
That situation is beginning to change, however.
More and more Cubans are starting to earn higher salaries
by working at private enterprises, which became permissible
thanks to
economic reforms implemented since 2011.
In particular, Cubans who work in the tourism
industry - tour guides, drivers, bed-and-breakfast hosts, and
restaurant and bar workers - are benefitting from the uptick in
visitors since the 2014 Cuba-America thaw.
First Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel, rumored by many to
be in line for the presidency if Raul Castro steps down next
year, said during a 2015 speech that the government is working to
make internet "available,
accessible, and affordable for everyone," according to The
Verge.
In addition, he said that it hoped to bring broadband
internet to half of Cuban households by 2020. Home
internet access is currently forbidden for Cuban
residents.
Whether the government’s goal is met is anyone’s guess.
Last year, the government began a pilot program to bring internet
access into the homes of 2,000 Havana residents. But that's a
drop in a bucket compared with Cuba's population of 11 million
people.
In mid-December 2016, Google and Cuba
signed a deal to allow the company to speed internet access
on the island by installing local servers that will store much of
Google's content. The move could make accessing Google services
like Gmail and YouTube 10 times faster, but will do little to
expand internet access to more Cubans.
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
Increased access could come at a cost.
Henken said that it is likely Cuba will follow the China model
and enact its own version of "The Great
Firewall" if it dramatically increases internet access.
"Cuba wants to go from a model that basically doesn't need
censorship on the internet because there practically is no
internet" to using internet to control the population, Henken
told The Verge.
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QHE6YZ9TVXNG508iAiWvQMMsbWdpxYOvPg+fCAPbxWEOAMO4eC71jwyq9VrNcSRoGMgxtbwt231qx1J18NWrU1wng=
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticAN154ZSVPPH68GPHsT11BR1ywjQ3DPuwpDTZwTqPkvB+K5CGZH/V5IRTBE7TSjBHzZVWlxOARwo1SqKEVN6bo2HlklU=
NoSuchBucketThe specified bucket does not existuswww-amp-staticF8QRRWSCVCGP77F7r7CBZJ8cCa2QtQVKv92itsawKgo6QMuufvMQrR0896HGien/E/Umuq07taxRxo9Gg8DNfYn6IYI=