ETECSA Schedules Mobile Network Disruption: Here's Why

The Cuban Telecommunications Company, ETECSA, has announced a planned service disruption in mobile telephony occurring on August 29th, between the early hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. This will result in partial or complete service interruptions for millions of users. The company attributes this to what they describe as "technical modernization work."

According to the official statement, during this six-hour window, a technological overhaul will be executed on the platform that hosts 67% of the country's mobile services. The numbers that will be impacted are those beginning with: 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 509, 51, 52, 55, 56, 58, 59, and 62.

Millions Left Disconnected Overnight

ETECSA insists that this disruption is necessary to "strengthen telecommunications infrastructure." The upgrade is expected to process requests like line changes, ownership transfers, and supplementary services such as call forwarding and voicemail.

Additionally, users of the Alternative Fixed Telephony (TFA) will also experience disruptions, although no specific numbers or areas were disclosed. As is customary with such announcements, no guarantees of service improvement or compensation for the outage were offered. Instead, the company expressed gratitude for public understanding and urged citizens to stay informed through official channels.

Modernization Costs: Who Bears the Burden?

This announcement comes less than three months after ETECSA's Executive President, Tania Velázquez, justified a significant increase in phone and internet tariffs. She described the move as essential to sustaining the company's technological infrastructure, stating, "ETECSA's systems are in a sensitive state. It's necessary to inject foreign currency."

Velázquez argued that Cuba lacks the resources to maintain current services, let alone make progress. "We're not even talking about development; we're talking about sustaining the services we have," she said, amid widespread public backlash.

Increased Revenue, Persistent Issues

Despite these official justifications, recent figures challenge the government's narrative. As revealed by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero during the National Assembly, ETECSA collected over $24 million in just 46 days following the tariff hike, amounting to over half a million dollars daily. However, this revenue, though substantial, falls short of pre-price hike levels, suggesting the increase hasn't secured the promised "development" nor halted service interruptions or complaints about declining quality.

Meanwhile, the government continues to deepen the dollarization of the system: prioritizing USD top-ups, imposing fees in freely convertible currency, and limiting plans in the national currency. This approach has been criticized by many as a "caste communication" model, where only those receiving remittances or accessing foreign currencies can stay connected.

Modernization or Temporary Fix?

While ETECSA argues that these technical works will improve the management of tasks like replacing lost lines or activating supplementary features, the company's track record raises doubts. Previous modernizations have resulted in more outages, congestion, and a service that remains far from improved in real quality.

The scheduled interruption on August 29th brings up a crucial question: can a company that raises prices, amasses millions, and continues to cut services justify itself under the guise of "modernization"? For now, most Cubans will continue to pay high prices for limited service, facing either announced or sudden outages, with no competition or effective complaint channels.