Google Speeding Up Cuba’s Internet

Google has announced that it has signed a contract with Cuba’s state to speed up the internet service for people of Cuba using YouTube and Google products.

With this deal it will provide Google’s “Global Cache” Service, which means it will take less time for high bandwidth data to store on server on the island. Google previously made Google Chrome and Google music player services available on that island.

ETECSA that handles all Internet and phone services in Cuba wrote:

“Taken together, all these projects are tied to Google’s core values to make the world’s information useful and accessible to everyone regardless of cost, connectivity, and language barriers”

However this will effect only small population of Cuba as vast majority of communist country’s 11 million residents do not have access to the Internet.

For that company ETECSA has created wifi available in big cities and let people use internet sitting in parks but still it cost $2 per hour, which is costly as average monthly salary is $25.

Jose Azel of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami said:

“The fact that now the 3% of Cubans who do have access can do faster searches and watch videos, that’s a good thing.”But what we should focus on is making sure that all Cubans have access to the Internet.”

President Obama’s administration has created several openings for U.S. telecommunications companies to work in Cuba to expand and improve its Internet service but Tummino said that they are fearing that U.S.  government would exploit the access and threaten Cuba’s national security.