Cuba’s Telecom Company Jacks Up Cell Data Rates

ETECSA, Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company, has announced a new limit of 6 GB of data per person per month that can be bought for 360 Cuban pesos (approximately US$1 in Cuba’s informal market).

Any data beyond that would be sold at much higher rates that are prohibitively expensive for many Cubans. 16 GB of data previously could be purchased for approximately $2.60. Now, purchasing 16 GB beyond the initial 6 GB would cost over $30.

ETECSA office in Havana

ETECSA’s president Tania Velázquez attributed the rate hike to the company’s “elevated debt,” the cost of much-needed infrastructure investment, as well as the “lack of foreign currency and the significant reduction in revenue in recent years.”

Many Cubans have taken to social media to air their concerns, resulting in TV appearances from several company representatives and government officials to address the issue.

On Monday, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on X that it was his government’s “duty to explain every step we take to avoid the attacks of the U.S. embargo.”

University students in Havana met with the company to demand a middle ground. According to the University of Havana’s branch of the FEU, Cuba’s main university student organization, ETECSA’s measures are an “obstacle” for their “educational and professional responsibilities.”

On Monday, ETECSA announced it will offer some alternatives for university students, including the right to buy an additional 6 GB of data for 360 pesos.