The Cuban Telecommunications Company, known as ETECSA, announced on Thursday significant disruptions to its infrastructure, following a blackout in the National Electrical System (SEN) caused by the intense winds of Hurricane Rafael.
In a statement on Facebook, the telecommunications monopoly revealed that about 60 percent of its mobile service towers — translating to over 1,400 sites — across the country have been impacted, leaving thousands of users without service. Additionally, more than 570 landline cabinets have been rendered inoperative, affecting roughly 90,000 subscribers throughout the island.
Widespread Connectivity Challenges
This situation has severely compromised connectivity and landline telephone services in numerous regions of Cuba, with officials striving to restore power and repair the damaged infrastructure.
The Havana Electric Company briefly noted on its Facebook page that the western region of the island will have to wait for an assessment of transmission lines before beginning to establish microsystems. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Mines disclosed on X that the restoration of electricity in the area would be a "slow process."
Efforts to Restore the Electrical System
The ministry further elaborated that in order to reinstate the SEN, efforts are underway to establish electrical subsystems in the central and eastern parts of Cuba.
On Wednesday, at 2:48 pm, even before Hurricane Rafael made landfall, the Electric Union (UNE) reported that the strong winds led to a disconnection of the SEN and that "contingency protocols" would be implemented. Earlier, the UNE had stated that once the hurricane's winds reached 60 km/h, a "voluntary disconnection" of electrical circuits in affected areas would be carried out to prevent damage to infrastructure and ensure public safety.