In one of the oddest reports of spy games we’ve heard in years—and that’s saying something—the AP has uncovered a United States plot to create a "Cuban Twitter" that would lure in users with soccer scores and music news before evolving its message into anti-Castro rhetoric. If any part of that made you say what, don’t worry, that’s a perfectly natural response.
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When you’re reading angry tweets about dropping to 3G in an LTE dead zone, it’s easy to forget that for some people, getting online isn’t even an option. In Cuba, internet access is extremely limited and out of financial reach for most, but news early this year of an undersea cable to Venezuela suggested the country might, with time, become better connected. As it turns out, that link has already made something of an impact, as the Associated Press is reporting that 118 government-run centers where one can swap cash for web time have just opened.
That doesn’t mean all Cubans will be able to while away hours on YouTube from now on, though, as the cost of full access at one of these centers is $4.50 per hour, or in other words, roughly a quarter of the average monthly wage (AP pegs a typical salary at around $20 per month). We guess really expensive internet is better than none, and if Cuba’s vice minister of communications Wilfredo Gonzalez is to be believed, mobile internet is said to be arriving in “a relatively near future.”
[Image credit: Franklin Reyes, Associated Press]
Filed under: Internet
Via: CNET
Source: Associated Press
A report by Internet analysis firm Renesys was released earlier this week where they believe Cuba activated an undersea fiber-optic cable the week prior, bringing broadband speeds to the country. The undersea fiber-optic cable has officially been confirmed by Etecsa, which is a Cuba’s government-owned telecom provider.
The cable runs 994 miles, which is estimated to cost $70 million, and connects directly to Venezula and has been operational since August. It was originally completed in February 2011 to then begin operating in July 2011, which officials didn’t explain why exactly it nearly took a year to start using it.
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Cuba may only be positioned 100 or so miles from Key West, but the US embargo meant an undersea fiber link to North America hasn’t been a possibility. Earlier this week, though, we began to see discussion regarding traffic passing through a connection to Venezuela, and ETECSA, a government-owned telecom provider, has now confirmed that a 994-mile cable has been operational since August, though in a limited capacity. On January 10th, ETECSA stepped up its utilization, testing the connection using “real traffic.”
The $70-million Alba-1 cable, which has a reported lifespan of 25 years, was completed in February 2011, though it’s not clear when, or if, citizens will see any benefit — a statement explained that it “will not automatically mean an increase in access.” That’s not great news for Cubans, but at least Hugo Chavez now has the possibility of a direct link to his home country — with a Netflix subscription and a VPN tunnel to the good ole US of A, his recovery could be a little more speedy.
Filed under: Internet
Source: AFP
An underwater fiber cable linking Cuba and Venezuela has given the island a hard connection to the internet since 2011, but reports have said that only government bodies from both countries have used the line. According to internet and network analysis firm Renesys, the cable lit up with activity last week with data flowing through it between Telefonica and the nation’s state telecom company, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA). Presumably, this could signal use by the average joe. Traceroutes into Cuba through the new Telefonica path show markedly lower latencies than the Caribbean country’s existing satellite-reliant connections, hinting that the cable has been flipped on — at least in one direction. It appears that the ETECSA is using the line for inbound data while leaning on satellites for outbound traffic.
Despite the clues, a GlobalPost correspondent in Cuba says there has been no perceptible improvement in internet speeds as of yet. Castro and Co. may not have said a peep about the development, but the new Telefonica path surfaced the very same day Cuba nixed the requirement of exit visas for citizens to travel outside its borders. Hit the source link for network stats and the nitty gritty details.
[Image credit: Phil Guest, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Ubergizmo
Source: Renesys
While China demands their new residences have fiber optic connections starting April 1st and the FCC chairman issuing his “Gigabit City Challenge“, poor little ole Cuba is using satellite links throughout the country in order to get its Internet access. Ask anyone who has done a small amount of research in Internet data speeds and they’ll tell you one of the slowest methods has got to be satellite links, but it looks like Cuba is finally getting up to speed with its Internet connections.
A report released by Internet analasys firm Renesys yesterday highlights Cuba’s use of fiber-optic cables and running them undersea has boosted Internet traffic to the country about a week ago. The fiber-optic cables, which were put in place nearly two years ago, don’t seem to be used for outgoing traffic as that data seems to still be handled by satellite.
Even though Cuba has limits on its Internet that resemble a tightly controlled intranet, this is still a step in the right direction for the country as the cost of communicating with Cuba by telephone or mail is costly to family and friends who live outside of the country. Being able to communicate with them may be a bit easier now that the country is somewhat expected to experience a true broadband connection.
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