Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez affirmed this Thursday that the realization of an undersea cable between Florida (USA) and the island would be a positive step and would expand Internet access for Cubans.
From his Twitter account, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also pointed out that by denying an underwater connection, the Washington government contradicts its stated position of supporting access to internet services in the Caribbean country.
Establecer una conexión de cable submarino entre la Florida y #Cuba sería un paso positivo para ambos países y ampliaría el acceso de los cubanos a Internet. Denegarlo, contradice la posición declarada por el gobierno de EEUU en mayo de 2022.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) December 15, 2022
Rodríguez Parrilla’s statements come after the U.S. Department of Justice recommended to the Federal Communications Commission on November 30 that a permit for the installation of a first underwater cable that would connect U.S. territory with the island be denied.
Shortly after, the Cuban Telecommunications Company S.A. announced that it had signed a contract with the French telecommunications company Orange S.A. to deploy an undersea fiber optic cable that will connect the island of Martinique and Cienfuegos.
The signing of the agreement a week later marked the beginning of the technological operation for which the cable ship Pierre de Fermat was already on the island, which, according to the information available, had arrived in Cienfuegos from Fort de France, Martinique.
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The cable is 2,500 kilometers long and would be available next year. The project bears the name of Arimao, in reference to the river that runs from the Sierra del Escambray to the bay of Cienfuegos.
Cuba has an undersea cable, installed late in 2012 through ALBA-1. It connects La Guaira on the Venezuelan north coast with Siboney in Santiago de Cuba.
Until the operation of ALBA-1 in 2012, Cuba only had a satellite connection, which was more expensive and less efficient for the country’s connectivity needs.
Work begins to install underwater cable linking Cuba with Martinique
Last May, the United States Department of State announced limited measures towards Cuba, with which some of the 240 regulations adopted by former President Donald Trump were reversed, according to the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency.
The current administration declared that it would encourage the growth of the Cuban private sector by supporting greater access to Internet services, applications and e-commerce platforms from the United States, this source pointed out, but little has been done.
