ETECSA President Defends Communication Failures: "Announcing Early Would Have Caused Anxiety"

Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, the CEO of the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA), admitted on national television this Saturday that the company failed to properly inform the public in advance about the restrictions on mobile top-ups in Cuban pesos, leading to a wave of criticism on social media and growing public discontent. "We lacked the tools, we lacked more effective mechanisms to address all this information," the executive revealed during a special broadcast on Cuban television, Radio Rebelde, and digital platforms, referring to the new commercial scheme that limits national top-ups to 360 Cuban pesos (CUP) per month and prioritizes dollar-denominated packages.

The executive acknowledged that, although discussions had previously indicated that ETECSA would implement new commercial policies by 2025, specifically referring to December 2024, when the Cuban government had already announced an increase in Internet access prices as part of the so-called "Telecommunications Services Ordering Plan," the population was not adequately prepared for the changes that took effect on May 30. "If this is a widespread opinion, we simply lacked communication," she stated.

Impact of Insufficient Communication

Velázquez mentioned that after meeting with students and professionals, one of the most frequent criticisms was the lack of prior information that would have allowed people to understand what was coming. Nevertheless, the ETECSA president also justified the decision not to announce the restrictions earlier, citing technical reasons and a "risk assessment" concerning the potential collapse of digital platforms due to a surge in top-up operations, which would have worsened the already fragile technological situation of the company. Despite this, she recognized that the public "deserved better informational preparation."

Rationale Behind the Decision

"The reason why it couldn't be announced has a technical basis, a technical support. It wasn't possible to give a measure in advance that would generate anxiety, that would trigger a series of actions impacting our system. A risk assessment was conducted on what could happen if many people were to perform specific operations (...). Of course, people would top up their balances intensively, and that, with the high demand, could cause some platforms to fail," she explained.

Despite these justifications, Velázquez acknowledged that ETECSA must reflect on its communication policy and improve its information channels to prevent decisions like this from being implemented without the public's prior knowledge or understanding.

Widespread Discontent Among Cubans

The measure, which effectively sidelines Cubans not receiving remittances and favors payments in foreign currency, has been labeled by many as a "price hike." The new dollar-based plans offer 4 GB for 10 USD or 16 GB for 35 USD, while national packages, for instance, cost 3 GB at 3,360 CUP, an amount that exceeds the minimum monthly wage.

The decision by ETECSA has generated a wave of indignation among Cuban users, who feel these measures exacerbate economic inequality and restrict access to an essential service. Cubans have voiced their frustration on social media, likening the situation to exclusion similar to the basic goods shortage.

Moreover, many have described the measure as a legalized scam and a direct assault on the Cuban people.