The Cuban telecommunications company, ETECSA, acknowledged on Tuesday a widespread deterioration of its mobile network across the island. This decline is directly linked to the ongoing electrical collapse that has left the country in darkness since Monday.
In an official statement posted on Facebook, the state-run company admitted that "due to electrical outages and challenges with the backup generators supporting the network, there has been an increase in mobile service disruptions."
This announcement came nearly 24 hours after Cuba experienced a total disconnection from the National Electric System on July 6, marking the seventh complete blackout in 18 months and the third in 2026 alone.
Enduring Blackouts and Their Impact
By Tuesday, the nationwide blackout persisted for almost a full day, with the national electric system still not fully restored. The dependency of the telecommunications network on electrical supply is a structural issue that ETECSA itself has acknowledged.
In June 2026, a company official publicly admitted that "the telecommunications infrastructure cannot remain operational for more than 24 hours without power from the grid."
Official data from the company highlight the severity of the situation: power outages render approximately 47.5% of mobile base stations and 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets non-operational across the nation.
Generators and Solar Panels: A Temporary Fix
Daily, around 450 base stations are disrupted due to the prolonged use of generators, which suffer mechanical failures and fuel exhaustion. The situation is particularly dire in provinces like Sancti Spíritus, where only 21 of the 70 telephone exchanges have backup generators, leaving over 288,000 mobile lines vulnerable.
A similar situation occurred in March 2026 when a generator failure at ETECSA in Cárdenas left the city without mobile or landline signals.
As a temporary measure, ETECSA has begun installing solar panels in certain areas. However, these offer limited autonomy of seven to eight hours, insufficient for sustaining the network during prolonged blackouts like the current one.
U.S. Embassy Alerts and Public Unrest
This Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Havana issued its seventh security alert of the year, warning that Cuba's electrical grid "is becoming increasingly unstable."
Meanwhile, since July 2, there have been reports of pot-banging protests and spontaneous demonstrations in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, met with police operations.
In its statement, ETECSA merely noted that "our specialists are working continuously to ensure availability," without providing timelines or details on the actual extent of affected areas.
Understanding Cuba's Telecommunications and Power Challenges
Why is Cuba experiencing mobile network issues?
Cuba's mobile network issues are primarily due to electrical outages and the failure of backup generators, causing widespread service disruptions.
How are power outages affecting telecommunications in Cuba?
Power outages render nearly half of the mobile base stations and over half of the telecommunications cabinets non-operational, significantly impacting the country's telecommunications infrastructure.
What measures is ETECSA taking to address the issue?
ETECSA is installing solar panels in some areas as a temporary measure, although these provide limited effectiveness during extended blackouts.
What is the current status of Cuba's electrical grid?
Cuba's electrical grid is increasingly unstable, leading to nationwide blackouts and affecting essential services like telecommunications.