Cuba has opened 35 Wi-Fi access points across the country, finally offering Cubans online access in a country where until now the internet has been restricted to an elite few.
Before the signals were made available on 29 June, broadband internet access was limited to desktops at state internet cafes and expensive hotels.
Its was high time for Cubans to get connected, everyone in the world has the right to internet. The things you can do are [on the internet] are very interesting – connect to Facebook, with people abroad, get to know new people, said student Alejandro Costa, who connected to Wi-Fi in Havana on Thursday (2 July).
Whether it has been because a lack of investment, or a government scared of the free flow of information to a Communist state, where the media is monopolised, Cuba has lagged behind in the internet stakes.
They did the right thing, its a measure in which at least all young people, all Cubans now will not be forced to go to a hotel or specific place to be connected. I think its a good connection and they did the right thing, said Juan Raciel Velasco.
Facebook was unsurprisingly the most popular site to be visited. An Etecsa official who declined to be identified said all 35 access points across the island started working on 29 June.
The Cuban government has also cut prices of internet usage from $4.50 (£2.88) to $2 an hour, now the cheapest option available to Cubans, though still expensive, considering an average salary in Cuba is $20 a month.
