Cuban University Students Protest ETECSA Cell Data Price Hike

University students across the island have publicly criticized the recent cell data price hikes by ETECSA, Cuba’s state-run telecommunications company, with some calling for a student strike.

On May 30, ETECSA announced a new data limit of 6 GB per person monthly at the rate of 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 most Cubans. 16 GB of data previously could be purchased for about $2.60. Now, purchasing 16 GB beyond the initial 6 GB would cost over $30.

Havana’s University

The cell data price hike comes in the midst of a devastating economic crisis that has been fueled by U.S. sanctions.

ETECSA’s president Tania Velázquez attributed the rate increase to the company’s elevated debt and 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. 

University students have led an unusual organized response, with some schools at the University of Havana and other universities issuing joint statements rejecting the measure.

Last week, ETECSA responded by announcing it will offer some alternatives for university students, including the right to buy an additional 6 GB of data for 360 pesos ($1).

But many students continue to express their dissatisfaction. At least two of the University of Havana’s schools have called for a student strike. The students at the School of Mathematics and Computer Sciences are asking for a reversal of the measure, or a lifting on the limit of the monthly amount of data “until new solutions are found through a collective effort.”

Several company representatives and government officials have appeared on national television to address the issue. 

Cuba’s Minister of Communications Ernesto Rodríguez explained that U.S. sanctions, which have intensified in the last eight years, have meant the company’s costs are higher than those of telecommunications companies in other countries. 

U.S. sanctions under Trump and Biden have targeted Cuba’s primary sources of foreign currency, including tourism, remittances and exported medical services, resulting in steep government budget cuts and reduced revenue for income-generating state-run companies.