Twitter Intends A Stronger Presence In Cuba

Twitter Intends A Stronger Presence In Cuba / 14ymedio
Posted on June 19, 2015

14ymedio, Havana, 17 June 2015 — The microblogging service Twitter has
expressed interest to the Cuban government in expanding access to the
service from the Island, the US magazine Politico reported Wednesday.
Given the lack of infrastructure in the country and the lack of Internet
connections, the California-based firm asks that in the short-term
Cubans can begin to tweet through text messages, from a local number
also known as a "short code."

The company's public policy director Colin Crowell met with staff from
the Cuban Interests Section in Washington DC to discuss the matter.
"Cuba is one of the few places in the world where we don't have an
agreement so that users can tweet through text messages (SMS)," explains
Crowell. As of now it is only possible to tweet through the service's
international numbers, at a cost of 0.60 CUC for each tweet.

The small but intense community of independent tweeters on the Island,
comprising a little fewer than two hundred people, has spent years
demanding that facilities be offered for publication via text messages.

Cuba officials, according to Crowell, are open to the change. Although
there is not yet a date for a meeting on the Island to formalize the
agreement, Twitter management hopes that the negotiations will take
place "as soon as possible."

Following the announcement of the restoration of diplomatic relations
between Havana and Washington last December, several technology
companies are sounding out the terrain to gain a foothold on the island.

According to several US media, Google presented a proposal to the Cuban
Government to participate in the infrastructure on the Island.
Representatives of the company, on a business trip in Havana this week,
however, did not confirm the news.

Twitter stresses that there a strong interest among users on issues tied
to the Island, both among Cubans in exile as well as in the hemisphere
in general. "We want to do everything we can to increase the
possibilities for Cubans to make their voices heard," added Crowell. "We
would love to have more Cuban voices on our platform."

Source: Twitter Intends A Stronger Presence In Cuba / 14ymedio |
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