ETECSA Reports "Gradual Restoration of Voice and Data Services on the Isle of Youth"

The state-run telecommunications company, ETECSA, announced on Sunday that voice and data services are beginning to be restored on the Isle of Youth after nearly a week of almost total disconnection affecting this special Cuban municipality.

In a Facebook post, the company stated, "We inform you that, as of this morning, there is a gradual recovery of voice and data traffic on the Isle of Youth. These indicators show that the network is now allowing communication. Efforts continue to fully restore services."

The disruption began on Tuesday, September 8, when damage to the two main connection routes with the national network left the special municipality virtually isolated, with no mobile services and landlines restricted to local calls.

Challenges of Repairing Undersea Fiber Optics

Repairing the damage proved particularly challenging due to the involvement of an undersea fiber optic cable. ETECSA, as reported by the state agency ACN on Saturday, explained, "The weather conditions have complicated the repair efforts on the damaged cable segment, which requires bringing it to the sea surface and executing the fiber splicing with great precision." The company also noted, "The maritime links make it complex, requiring special technical conditions."

As an emergency measure, a limited-use satellite link was provided to ensure only the state radio and television signals during the outage. Specialists from ETECSA and other institutions, including Geocuba, were involved in the repair efforts. The company did not provide an estimated restoration date until announcing the partial recovery on Sunday.

Impact on Families and Infrastructure Crisis

The prolonged disconnection severely impacted Cuban families abroad, who had been unable to contact their loved ones on the island for days. A woman named Geida Ponciano expressed in a video shared on social media, "Those of us on this side are suffering. We can't talk to our family members. In my case, it's my mother. It's my mother, please." Another user admitted, "I can't take this anymore, not knowing if my family has food or water, it's very hard for those of us far away."

The telecommunications outage occurred amid an ongoing electrical and infrastructure crisis plaguing the Isle of Youth throughout 2026. Power outages escalated from four hours daily in February to 18 hours in May and over twenty hours by July. By August 18, the situation had reached a critical point: electricity was reserved only for the hospital and water pumping, leaving the rest of the area in darkness.