Google has announced it has signed a new deal on Monday with Cuba’s state-run telecommunications firm in order to move a few of its server on the island nation. This will speed up the internet access to Cubans who will access YouTube and various other Google sites and products.
Google has made some strides in Cuba as the Obama administration worked to re-open diplomatic relations with the country, after their Cold-War dispute. Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO was present in Havana this Monday in order to sign the Cuba deal with Mayra Arevich Marin, which is the president of the country’s State Enterprise Telecommunications. The company, also known as ETECSA, handles all the phone and internet services in Cuba.
The Cuba deal will lead to Google’s deployment of its Global Cache service to the island nation. This will reduce the time it takes content which requires high-bandwidth content to load. It’s able to speed up internet access by storing data on servers placed in secure centers on the island. Google has previously made available to Cubans their Chrome browser as well as the Google Play music service.
Despite improving the internet speed of Cuban internet users for Google services, this deal won’t actually expand the number of internet users in the country. Freedom House estimates that between 5 to 30 percent of Cuba’s population have access to the internet. The country is among the most restrictive when it comes to providing the service to its population.
ETECSA has launched several wi-fi hotspots around Cuba’s largest cities. The state-run telecom company is also experimenting with providing internet access directly into the homes of Cubans. The service has only started this year and there have been reports that it costs a few hundreds of dollars a month.
Nonetheless, Google’s Cuba deal lays the foundation for an expansion of the country’s internet infrastructure, which will eventually lead to a drop in price as well. This, in turn, will allow for a greater percent of the population to benefit from having internet service. However, Cuba has been somewhat reticent about the intentions of US companies, fearing that they will threaten the country national security.
What do you think about Google’s Cuba deal?
Image source: Wikimedia
Latest posts by Karen Jackson (see all)
- Intoxicated South Carolina Man Punches Waitress Who Refused to Serve Him Alcohol - June 29, 2018
- Restaurant Manager Arrested and Charged in Shooting Death of Co-Worker over Negative Yelp Reviews - June 20, 2018
- Minnesota Teen Gets Head Stuck In Oversized Tailpipe Winstock Music Festival - June 18, 2018