Cuba, amid the censorship, wades into WiFi

Cuba, amid the censorship, wades into WiFi

Cuba, where Internet access is largely limited to government employees
and pricey pay-by-hour public access, plans to start offering wireless
service for the first time this month, officials said Saturday.

Wireless Internet connections -- for laptops, smartphones or tablets --
will get a limited rollout through state-run Etecsa in Cuba's
second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba.

"Santiago (de Cuba) has been picked by Etecsa to test wifi service late
this month," read a statement on the website of the Union of Cuban
Journalists, a government association.

Cuba, the only communist-run country in the Americas, allows some locals
such as journalists, doctors and athletes to have Internet access at home.

But anyone who wants their own router -- for a WiFi signal -- needs
permission from the Communications Ministry first.

Tech-savvy young Cubans often piggy-back on the signals of hotels and
government offices.

The journalists' site said WiFi access -- unclear where for now -- will
cost $4.5 an hour. That is the same rate, unaffordable to many, as that
offered at public Internet cafes.

Most Cubans make under $20 a month.

Last year, 3.4 percent of homes in Cuba had Internet access --- one of
the world's lowest rates, according to international technology
authorities. -- AFP

Source: BusinessWorld | Cuba, amid the censorship, wades into WiFi -
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