A Cuban content creator, known on Instagram as @am_newage.mdr, has sparked both laughter and thought with a satirical video suggesting an unusual trade: his mobile phone line for a fully furnished apartment in one of Havana's prime neighborhoods. "If my dad sees this video, I want him to stop threatening to kick me out if I don't work or study. I'm trading my mobile line for an apartment with everything inside, in Nuevo Vedado," the young man confidently declared in his Instagram video.
He boasted of having "27 gigabytes and 8,700 pesos in balance," which in today's Cuban informal market is considered a "fortune." The video has quickly gone viral, with the young Cuban humorously highlighting the impact of the new tariffs imposed by the Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) and the dollarization of mobile services in the nation.
Since May 30, ETECSA has restricted Cuban peso (CUP) top-ups to a maximum of 360 over a 30-day period, forcing customers to purchase larger data packages in U.S. dollars (USD) from abroad. As a result, an informal market has emerged where foreign currency balance is traded as a commodity, causing outrage due to further limiting connectivity access on the island.
Impact of ETECSA's Policies on Cuban Connectivity
What prompted the Cuban content creator's satirical video?
The video was a humorous response to the new tariffs imposed by ETECSA and the dollarization of mobile services, highlighting the challenges faced by Cubans in accessing affordable connectivity.
How have ETECSA's restrictions affected the Cuban market?
ETECSA's restrictions have led to the emergence of an informal market where foreign currency balance is traded as a commodity, further limiting access to mobile connectivity on the island.