Exiles pay the internet expenses of their relatives on the Island
14ymedio, Havana, July 16, 2025 — In the little more than one month since the tarifazo [huge price increase] came into force – 46 days, to be exact — stirring up Cuban universities and putting the state telecommunications monopoly in a bind — Etecsa has managed to raise more than 24,839,866 dollars. The data, revealed by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero in front of Parliament on Wednesday, confirmed what the students had been criticizing for weeks while the company denied it: Etecsa is prioritizing the collection of foreign currency over its users.
The figure represents an astronomical increase in the collection of hard currency by Etecsa of 5,300 percent, averaging $540,000 per day. Before, said Marrero, it was barely $10,000 (54 times less). Exports also grew by 3.5%, he said, although without giving specific figures. According to him, the revenues will be used to improve the Island’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has one of the worst internet connections in the world.
Marrero dismissed the “just complaints” caused by the “political and communication strategy of the company.”
The prime minister dismissed the “just complaints” caused by the “political and communication strategy of the company” and said that the claims have been “attended to.”
Announced by Marrero himself in 2023, the tarifazo was implemented in June amid protests and criticism, mainly from the country’s university students, because the new prices limit refills in national currency to 6 GB monthly for 360 pesos, while extra packages beyond that are sold at exorbitant prices.
Last June in the podcast Desde la presidencia, hosted by Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Etecsa’s president Tania Velázquez Figueredo acknowledged that limiting consumption was a deliberate strategy to push customers to seek international refills. In practice, it is the Cuban exile that pays for their relatives’ internet on the Island, and which, in the last month, has fattened the company’s coffers.
She also categorically denied that there was any conflict with the students.
Then, she also categorically denied that there was any conflict with the students, a position that has been maintained by the government, even when the university students threatened to carry out a student strike. The “high indebtedness” of the company, repeated again and again by its managers, forced Etecsa to raise its rates without any possibility of reversing the measure.
In order to appease the students, an Additional Plan was created whereby 2 GB can be purchased for 1,200 pesos – added to the basic 6 GB for 360 pesos – “once a month and with a duration of 35 days.” There is also a Sector-based Plan, intended exclusively for students, which offers an additional 6 GB for 360 pesos.
The company’s “high debt” forced Etecsa to raise its fees.
In the official press release of mid-June, Etecsa acknowledged that 38% of users in Cuba consume more than 8 GB. “Our company is aware that there are sectors with greater consumption needs and that this Additional Plan will be insufficient for them; but in the current conditions, it is the solution that can be provided to increase the level of connectivity of our customers.”
In no time at all Cubans again found themselves uneasy, but once again the monopoly justified itself: “Etecsa reiterates its commitment to the search for solutions to overcome current challenges, working hand in hand with the people, supporting education and the construction of the Cuban digital society.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.