The Cuban Telecommunications Company, ETECSA, has introduced a fresh international top-up promotion this week, running from October 5 to 10. It promises 25 GB of data along with unlimited internet access from midnight to 7:00 a.m. for 35 days. Additionally, those who receive two or more top-ups will enjoy a bonus of unlimited national minutes and SMS for 10 days.
The official announcement on Facebook sparked a wave of criticism from Cubans, highlighting an undeniable contradiction: the so-called unlimited data is offered during hours when power outages make it impossible to charge phones and leave towers without signal.
One user commented, "This doesn't make sense. They offer 'unlimited data' only from 12 a.m. to 7 a.m., but with the power cuts in Cuba, how can we charge our phones at that time? Even if your phone is charged, the towers lose power, and there's no signal."
Another frustrated commenter said, "Why do they promote so much if the networks keep getting worse and it's just a scam? I've lost about 30 GB of internet. They're just taking advantage of people."
Cost is another point of contention. An international top-up to Cuba exceeds $25, turning the offer, according to users, into "an insult to both local Cubans and their overseas relatives' wallets." A widely shared sentiment summed it up: "Why spend money if there's never any internet connection?"
Structural Failures and Customer Discontent
The structural issues underlying these complaints intensify the sense of deception. Just days before this campaign's launch, ETECSA admitted power outages limit their network and stated that it is "not feasible to keep investing in network expansion without the energy capacity to support the infrastructure."
The figures acknowledged by ETECSA are revealing. Under typical conditions of the ongoing power crisis, 47.5% of radio base stations and 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets are out of service during blackouts. During the national power grid collapse on September 18, more than 80% of radio base sites lost service, causing internet traffic to drop by 58%.
In Santiago de Cuba, 140 to 150 towers go offline daily due to power shortages. Of the roughly 2,520 radio base stations across the country, only half have some form of energy backup, and around 450 suffer from generator breakdowns or lack of fuel.
Users are quick to point out these contradictions. "ETECSA says it won't invest in infrastructure, yet it doesn't buy batteries either," noted one of the most shared comments under the promotional post.
Repeating Patterns and Empty Assurances
This isn't a new issue. In March, a Cuban publicly challenged ETECSA for selling unusable data, and a similar promotion in September with the same nocturnal data structure faced identical backlash. The company has responded by claiming investments in solar panels as a partial solution. However, users recall reports from Santiago de Cuba about stolen solar panels installed by ETECSA, underscoring the extent of the decline.
ETECSA launched its October campaign without acknowledging any of these figures. It was the response from their own customers that painted the full picture.
Addressing ETECSA's Connectivity Challenges
Why are Cubans criticizing ETECSA's new promotion?
Cubans are criticizing ETECSA's promotion because the unlimited data is offered during hours when power outages prevent phone charging and leave towers without signal, making it difficult to use the service.
How do power outages affect ETECSA's network?
Power outages severely impact ETECSA's network, with nearly half of the radio base stations and over half of the telecommunications cabinets becoming non-operational, hindering internet access and connectivity.