Communications Tower in Havana: A Useless Structure and Countless Other Issues

In a pointedly ironic post shared on the Facebook group "Alamar calle ancha," a resident of Alamar in Havana del Este highlighted the dire situation in his neighborhood. He suggested dismantling the communications tower that stands idle and repurposing its metal angles for garages, fences, or streetlights.

"Why not take apart the Alamar tower and use its materials for something more worthwhile? That tower serves no purpose," wrote Esneyder Gonzales Fifteem. He acknowledged that connectivity issues are just one of many problems, elaborating with a touch of sarcasm that there are "one million five hundred twenty-four thousand problems in Alamar... well, five hundred twenty-five if I remember the water supply issue. We also face connectivity and mobile phone issues."

The proposal to convert the tower's materials into streetlights holds a twisted logic. If residents have only three hours of electricity at night, at least the streets should be illuminated. The author candidly describes the area's dangers: "In Alamar, if it's not an assault, it's a murder, or a theft of an electric motorcycle or from a house, and no one sees anything."

A Struggling Infrastructure and Safety Concerns

The critique of the tower is harsh. "There's never internet here, and even though you see the 4G arrows, it's just a simulation. We keep toggling airplane mode like it's an airport," he wrote, depicting the residents' desperate attempts to reconnect whenever power returns.

The situation has reached an emergency level. "Imagine I'm on my motorcycle and get robbed near Hanói... trying to call the police at 106 can take 3 to 4 hours, not counting the additional 15 hours for the police to arrive. By then, the thief has dismantled my bike, sold it for parts, and I finally hear the operator say 'ORDENE' on my phone," he explained.

This isn't an exaggeration. On July 22, two 19-year-olds were killed in a violent attack at Parque Hanói, Alamar's Zone 6.

Criticism Towards ETECSA and Broader Failures

The sentiment towards ETECSA, the state telecom provider, is equally dismissive: "What are the ETECSA people in Alamar doing? Why are you even there? I'd turn the phone center in Zone 6 into a small food business, right next to the cinema."

Comments from other residents confirmed that the issues extend beyond blackouts. One user noted that cables from the 5th Avenue tower were stolen without any solution in sight; another mentioned that the power company removed the three transformers powering the Falcon tower, leaving it non-functional "with or without power." A similar fate befell the tower in Zone 23, near the gym: "Months ago, they stole everything, even the door."

This problem extends beyond Alamar. ETECSA has admitted that more than 45% of mobile radio bases and over 55% of telecommunications cabinets across Cuba are non-operational due to blackouts, with systematic infrastructure thefts documented in Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and other provinces this year.

The author also highlighted the lack of potable water and frequent sewage overflows—"Alamar is Cuba's Venice," he quipped—and the unfulfilled official promises. The closing remarks took a sharp jab at the prime minister: "Our charismatic and beloved Prime Minister [Manuel] Marrero said we'd be better off by January. There are 70 days left to solve these problems. I imagine the State Council must have summoned or resurrected a magician like Houdini to magically resolve everything."

Fellow residents echoed the sentiment with bitter acceptance: "Your satire is both impressive and real. What we don't know is how much longer we can endure."