Internet in Cuba
Encyclopedia
The Internet in Cuba has stagnated since its introduction in the 1990's for three major reasons:
Due to these issues, the Internet in Cuba is characterized by a low number of connections, limited bandwidth, censorship, and high cost. Cuba has an Internet penetration of 1 to 3 percent; making it the lowest rate in Latin America and one of the lowest in the world.
, a 64kbps link to Sprint
in the United States
, was established in September 1996. Since then the Cuban Internet has stagnated. The Cuban internet is among the most tightly controlled in the world. Private ownership of a computer or cell phone required a difficult to obtain government permit until 2007 and creating a Wi-Fi
network still does. Telecommunications between Cuba and the rest of the world is limited to the Intersputnik
system and aging telephone lines connecting with the United States
. Total bandwidth between Cuba and the global Internet is just 209 Mbps upstream and 379 down. However, a new undersea fiber-optic link to Venezuela
(ALBA-1) is scheduled for 2011.
Cuba’s domestic telecommunications infrastructure is limited in scope and is only appropriate for the early days of the Internet. There is virtually no broadband Internet access in Cuba. Cuba’s mobile network is limited in coverage and uses “second generation” technology, suited to voice conversations and text messaging, but not Internet applications. Internet connections are through satellite leading the cost of accessing the Internet to be high. One report found that many foreign news outlet websites are not blocked in Cuba, but the slow connections and outdated technology in Cuba makes it impossible for citizens to load these websites. Using the Internet in Cuba is expensive. The average cost of a one-hour cybercafé connection is about $1.50 U.S. dollars for the national network and $5 to $7 U.S. dollars for the international network, while the average monthly salary is just $20 U.S. dollars. Rather than having complex filtering systems, the government relies on the high cost of getting online and the telecommunications infrastructure that is slow to restrict Internet access.
According to Boris Moreno Cordoves, Deputy Minister of Informatics and Communications, the Torricelli Act
(part of the United States embargo against Cuba
) identified the telecommunications sector as a tool for subversion
of the 1959 Cuban Revolution
, and the necessary technology has been conditioned by counter-revolutionaries. But it is also seen as essential for Cuba’s economic development.
Roughly 12% percent of the population (1.6 million users, 79th in the world) have access to the Internet, with most of this access being to a national intranet
which consists of an in-country e-mail system, a Cuban encyclopedia, and websites that are supportive of the government. Because of limited bandwidth, authorities give preference to use from locations where Internet access is used on a collective basis, such as in work places, schools, and research centers, where many people have access to the same computers or network.
Cuba utilizes a network that is separated from the rest of the global Internet, specifically for domestic use. Such a network, similar to the Kwangmyong used by North Korea
, prevents unwanted information from outside of the country getting into the closed system. One network link connects to the global internet and is used by government officials and tourists, while another connection for use by the general public has restricted content. Myanmar
uses and Iran
has plans to implement a similar system. All material intended for publication on the Internet must first be approved by the National Registry of Serial Publications. Service providers may not grant access to individuals not approved by the government.
Investments in fourth generation mobile access equipment will provide broader coverage and allow mobile Internet access. China, Cuba's second largest trading partner and the largest importer of Cuban goods, has pledged to "provide assistance to Cuba to help its social and economic development." Chinese networking equipment and expertise are world class and China has experience building domestic communication infrastructure in developing nations.
The political situation in both Cuba and the United States is slowly changing as the Cuban revolution fades further into the past and leaders grow old and die. U.S. regulations were recently modified to encourage communication links with Cuba, and TeleCuba Communications, Inc. was granted a license to install an undersea cable between Key West, Florida and Havana, although political considerations on both sides prevented the venture from moving forward. In 2009 President Obama announced that the US would allow American companies to provide Internet service to Cuba, however, the Cuban government rejected the offer and is instead working with the Venezuelan government.
In February 2011 the fiber optic cable linking Cuba to Jamaica and Venezuela arrived and was expected to provide download speeds up to 3,000 times faster than previously available. The fiber optic cable was expected to be in operation by the summer of 2011, but reports in October 2011 stated that the fiber optic cable was not yet in place. The government has not commented on the issue, which has led citizens to believe that the project was never completed due to corruption in the Cuban government.
Digital media is starting to play a more important role, bringing news of events in Cuba to the rest of the world. In spite of restrictions, Cubans connect to the Internet at embassies, Internet cafés, through friends at universities, hotels, and work. Cellphone availability is increasing. Cuba has also seen a rise in the community of bloggers. Bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez
use new media to depict life in Cuba and how the government violates basic freedoms. Sánchez's blog Generation Y has received much international publicity. Moreover, Sánchez along with other popular bloggers have made it "trendy" for youth to "exercise the right to free speech". New media tools have allowed citizens to record and post their protests on YouTube
as well as text message Tweets to people outside of Cuba.
The rise of digital media in Cuba has led the government to be increasingly worried about these tools; U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks
in December 2010 revealed that the Cuban regime is more afraid of bloggers than of "traditional" dissidents. The government has increased its own presence on blogging platforms with the number of 'pro-government' blogging platforms on the rise since 2009.
since the list was created in 2006. The level of Internet filtering in Cuba is not categorized by the OpenNet Initiative
due to lack of data.
Reports have shown that the Cuban government uses Avila Link software to monitor citizens use of the Internet. By routing connections through a proxy server, the government is able to obtain citizens usernames and passwords.
Guillermo Fariñas
, a Cuban doctor of psychology, independent journalist, and political dissident, held a seven-month hunger strike to protest Internet censorship
in Cuba. He ended it in the autumn of 2006, with severe health problems, although be was still conscious. He has stated that he is ready to die in the struggle against censorship.
Alan Phillip Gross, under employment with a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development
, was arrested in Cuba on 3 December 2009 and was convicted on 12 March 2011 for covertly distributing laptops and satellite phones on the island in furtherance of subversive activities.
Bloggers and other dissidents that have trouble getting online may use USB keys
to get their work published. The blogger will type their piece on a computer, save it on a USB key, and then hand it to another person who has an easier time getting online at a hotel or other more open venue. USB keys
along with data discs are also used to distribute material (articles, prohibited photos, satirical cartoons, video clips) that has been downloaded from the Internet or stolen from government offices. Others get their work out by writing it by hand and then calling a person abroad to have them transcribe and publish it on their behalf.
Bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez
send text message tweets from a mobile phone
. Another mechanism to get tweets out is to insert a foreign SIM card into a cell phone and access the Internet through the phone. Some citizens are able "to break through the infrastructural blockages by building their own antennas, using illegal dial-up connections, and developing blogs on foreign platforms."
- the U.S. embargoUnited States embargo against CubaThe United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...
, which delayed an undersea cable and made computers, routers, and other equipment expensive and difficult to obtain. - lack of funding due to the poor state of the Cuban economy after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Cuban government's hostility to foreign investment; and
- the government's fear of information freedom and its unwillingness to risk political instability in order to achieve the benefits of the InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Due to these issues, the Internet in Cuba is characterized by a low number of connections, limited bandwidth, censorship, and high cost. Cuba has an Internet penetration of 1 to 3 percent; making it the lowest rate in Latin America and one of the lowest in the world.
Current situation
Cuba's first connection to the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, a 64kbps link to Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was established in September 1996. Since then the Cuban Internet has stagnated. The Cuban internet is among the most tightly controlled in the world. Private ownership of a computer or cell phone required a difficult to obtain government permit until 2007 and creating a Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
network still does. Telecommunications between Cuba and the rest of the world is limited to the Intersputnik
Intersputnik
The Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications commonly known as Intersputnik is an international satellite communications services organization founded on November 15, 1971, in Moscow by the Soviet Union along with a group of eight formerly socialist states...
system and aging telephone lines connecting with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Total bandwidth between Cuba and the global Internet is just 209 Mbps upstream and 379 down. However, a new undersea fiber-optic link to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
(ALBA-1) is scheduled for 2011.
Cuba’s domestic telecommunications infrastructure is limited in scope and is only appropriate for the early days of the Internet. There is virtually no broadband Internet access in Cuba. Cuba’s mobile network is limited in coverage and uses “second generation” technology, suited to voice conversations and text messaging, but not Internet applications. Internet connections are through satellite leading the cost of accessing the Internet to be high. One report found that many foreign news outlet websites are not blocked in Cuba, but the slow connections and outdated technology in Cuba makes it impossible for citizens to load these websites. Using the Internet in Cuba is expensive. The average cost of a one-hour cybercafé connection is about $1.50 U.S. dollars for the national network and $5 to $7 U.S. dollars for the international network, while the average monthly salary is just $20 U.S. dollars. Rather than having complex filtering systems, the government relies on the high cost of getting online and the telecommunications infrastructure that is slow to restrict Internet access.
According to Boris Moreno Cordoves, Deputy Minister of Informatics and Communications, the Torricelli Act
Torricelli Act
The Torricelli act also known as The Cuban Democracy Act is another part of the United States' long running embargo against Cuba. The law was enacted in 1992, on an initiative by Robert Torricelli, who was then a member of the United States House of Representatives, and supported by Senator...
(part of the United States embargo against Cuba
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...
) identified the telecommunications sector as a tool for subversion
Subversion
Apache Subversion is a software versioning and a revision control system distributed under a free license. Developers use Subversion to maintain current and historical versions of files such as source code, web pages, and documentation...
of the 1959 Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, and the necessary technology has been conditioned by counter-revolutionaries. But it is also seen as essential for Cuba’s economic development.
Roughly 12% percent of the population (1.6 million users, 79th in the world) have access to the Internet, with most of this access being to a national intranet
Intranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
which consists of an in-country e-mail system, a Cuban encyclopedia, and websites that are supportive of the government. Because of limited bandwidth, authorities give preference to use from locations where Internet access is used on a collective basis, such as in work places, schools, and research centers, where many people have access to the same computers or network.
Cuba utilizes a network that is separated from the rest of the global Internet, specifically for domestic use. Such a network, similar to the Kwangmyong used by North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, prevents unwanted information from outside of the country getting into the closed system. One network link connects to the global internet and is used by government officials and tourists, while another connection for use by the general public has restricted content. Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
uses and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
has plans to implement a similar system. All material intended for publication on the Internet must first be approved by the National Registry of Serial Publications. Service providers may not grant access to individuals not approved by the government.
Future prospects
Availability and use of the Internet in Cuba is slowly changing. There is a good deal of pent up demand among the well-educated Cuban population. When buying computers was legalized in 2007, the private ownership of computers in Cuba soared (there were 630,000 computers available on the island in 2008, a 23% increase over 2007).Investments in fourth generation mobile access equipment will provide broader coverage and allow mobile Internet access. China, Cuba's second largest trading partner and the largest importer of Cuban goods, has pledged to "provide assistance to Cuba to help its social and economic development." Chinese networking equipment and expertise are world class and China has experience building domestic communication infrastructure in developing nations.
The political situation in both Cuba and the United States is slowly changing as the Cuban revolution fades further into the past and leaders grow old and die. U.S. regulations were recently modified to encourage communication links with Cuba, and TeleCuba Communications, Inc. was granted a license to install an undersea cable between Key West, Florida and Havana, although political considerations on both sides prevented the venture from moving forward. In 2009 President Obama announced that the US would allow American companies to provide Internet service to Cuba, however, the Cuban government rejected the offer and is instead working with the Venezuelan government.
In February 2011 the fiber optic cable linking Cuba to Jamaica and Venezuela arrived and was expected to provide download speeds up to 3,000 times faster than previously available. The fiber optic cable was expected to be in operation by the summer of 2011, but reports in October 2011 stated that the fiber optic cable was not yet in place. The government has not commented on the issue, which has led citizens to believe that the project was never completed due to corruption in the Cuban government.
Digital media is starting to play a more important role, bringing news of events in Cuba to the rest of the world. In spite of restrictions, Cubans connect to the Internet at embassies, Internet cafés, through friends at universities, hotels, and work. Cellphone availability is increasing. Cuba has also seen a rise in the community of bloggers. Bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez
Yoani Sánchez
Yoani Maria Sánchez Cordero is a Cuban blogger who has achieved international fame and multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in Cuba under its current government....
use new media to depict life in Cuba and how the government violates basic freedoms. Sánchez's blog Generation Y has received much international publicity. Moreover, Sánchez along with other popular bloggers have made it "trendy" for youth to "exercise the right to free speech". New media tools have allowed citizens to record and post their protests on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as well as text message Tweets to people outside of Cuba.
The rise of digital media in Cuba has led the government to be increasingly worried about these tools; U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
in December 2010 revealed that the Cuban regime is more afraid of bloggers than of "traditional" dissidents. The government has increased its own presence on blogging platforms with the number of 'pro-government' blogging platforms on the rise since 2009.
Censorship
The Cuban internet is among the most tightly controlled in the world. In 2004 the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions expressed deep concern about continuing violations of the basic human right to freedom of access to information and freedom of expression in Cuba. Cuba has been listed as an "Internet Enemy" by Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
since the list was created in 2006. The level of Internet filtering in Cuba is not categorized by the OpenNet Initiative
OpenNet Initiative
The OpenNet Initiative is a joint project whose goal is to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations. The project employs a number of technical means, as well as an international network of investigators, to determine the extent and nature of government-run...
due to lack of data.
Reports have shown that the Cuban government uses Avila Link software to monitor citizens use of the Internet. By routing connections through a proxy server, the government is able to obtain citizens usernames and passwords.
Guillermo Fariñas
Guillermo Fariñas
Guillermo Fariñas Hernández is a Cuban doctor of psychology, independent journalist and political dissident in Cuba. He has conducted 23 hunger strikes over the years to protest various elements of the Cuban regime. He has stated that he is ready to die in the struggle against censorship in...
, a Cuban doctor of psychology, independent journalist, and political dissident, held a seven-month hunger strike to protest Internet censorship
Internet censorship
Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
in Cuba. He ended it in the autumn of 2006, with severe health problems, although be was still conscious. He has stated that he is ready to die in the struggle against censorship.
Alan Phillip Gross, under employment with a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, was arrested in Cuba on 3 December 2009 and was convicted on 12 March 2011 for covertly distributing laptops and satellite phones on the island in furtherance of subversive activities.
Circumventing censorship
In order to get around the government's control of the Internet, citizens have developed numerous techniques. In addition to getting online through embassies and coffee shops, Cubans also purchase accounts through the black market. The black market consists of professional or former government officials who have been cleared to have Internet access. These individuals sell or rent their usernames and passwords to citizens who want to have access.Bloggers and other dissidents that have trouble getting online may use USB keys
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
to get their work published. The blogger will type their piece on a computer, save it on a USB key, and then hand it to another person who has an easier time getting online at a hotel or other more open venue. USB keys
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
along with data discs are also used to distribute material (articles, prohibited photos, satirical cartoons, video clips) that has been downloaded from the Internet or stolen from government offices. Others get their work out by writing it by hand and then calling a person abroad to have them transcribe and publish it on their behalf.
Bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez
Yoani Sánchez
Yoani Maria Sánchez Cordero is a Cuban blogger who has achieved international fame and multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in Cuba under its current government....
send text message tweets from a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
. Another mechanism to get tweets out is to insert a foreign SIM card into a cell phone and access the Internet through the phone. Some citizens are able "to break through the infrastructural blockages by building their own antennas, using illegal dial-up connections, and developing blogs on foreign platforms."
External links
- "Internet politics in Cuba", Carlos Uxo, La Trobe University, Telecommunications Journal of Australia, Vol. 60, No. 1 (February 2010)
- Article on the state of the Internet in Cuba, "An Internet Diffusion Framework", by Larry Press, Grey Burkhart, Will Foster, Seymour Goodman, Peter Wolcott, and Jon Woodard, in Communications of the ACM, Vol. 41, No. 10, pp 21-26, October, 1998
- "Cuban bibliography", lists fourteen reports and articles on the Internet in Cuba from 1992 to 1998, by Larry Press, Professor of Information Systems at California State UniversityCalifornia State UniversityThe California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
- "Internet in Cuba" Thousands of articles about and referring to Internet in Cuba.