ETECSA Chief Defends Price Hike: “There’s a Market Outside Cuba Wanting to Connect with Their Families”

The head of Cuba's telecommunications company, ETECSA, Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, took to the Mesa Redonda platform on Friday to justify the recent controversial price increase by the state-run entity. She argued that there is a “market outside Cuba” eager to maintain communication with their relatives, and that the new offerings are designed to cater to those customers as well. Her remarks came shortly after the official announcement of new restrictions on mobile recharges in Cuban pesos (CUP) and the introduction of new data plans sold in U.S. dollars (USD) through international cards and the MiTransfer Wallet. This move is widely seen as a further step towards the dollarization of basic services on the island.

Velázquez attempted to distance ETECSA from the notion of full dollarization by stating that “the tariffs remain in CUP, as they have always been,” supported by resolutions from the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Finance and Prices. However, she acknowledged that "the concept of dollarization is a necessity today, in certain sectors."

“For over 15 years, we have had the concept of international recharges, which has been greatly utilized by a significant portion of our customer base,” the executive added. “We also leverage the opportunities we have today with a market outside Cuba, which is also interested in keeping their families connected.”

The new measures imposed by ETECSA’s communication monopoly have sparked immediate backlash among the Cuban population, who have witnessed how internet and mobile phone access are becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach.

Many social media users have labeled the measures as "daylight robbery," pointing out that the new plans in CUP exceed even the country’s minimum monthly wage. A 15 GB plan now costs 11,760 CUP, while domestic recharges in national currency are capped at 360 CUP every 30 days. Concurrently, packages priced at 10, 20, and 35 USD are being promoted, an option viable only for those receiving remittances or having access to foreign currency.

Criticism has been rampant, accusing ETECSA of perpetuating inequality through a “caste communication” system, where only those receiving foreign aid can remain connected. “They control your money while opening their arms to dollars, hypocrites,” one outraged user commented on social media.

A particularly sharp response came from social media, where a young Cuban named Alex Umur sarcastically dissected the new measures. In his video, Umur referenced the words of ETECSA's Vice President, Lidia Esther Hidalgo, who justified limiting domestic recharges by saying that balance could still be consumed via international recharges or transfers.

“Before, you could top up as much as you wanted from Transfermóvil. Now you can't. Just once a month and up to 360 pesos. That's terrible,” lamented Umur. He further mocked the growing reliance on intermediaries. “Juancito's family abroad tops him up, Juancito sells that balance, you buy balance from Juancito, and you can stay connected. Now we just have to see how much Juancito will charge for that balance.”

His commentary, laden with irony, highlights an already palpable reality on the island, reflecting digital inequality and the creation of an informal market where connectivity depends on access to dollars or relatives abroad.

Despite Velázquez's insistence that CUP tariffs remain unchanged, ETECSA's strategy clearly indicates a trend: more and more essential services are becoming dependent on payments in foreign currency, leaving the majority of the population, who survive on Cuban pesos, excluded from what is considered a critical service.