The Cuban Telecommunications Enterprise (ETECSA) advised its clients not to use “large volumes of data on the mobile network” at a time when traffic has shot up on the island due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To think as a country is to maintain the stability of our systems to guarantee services to our population. We advise you not to use large volumes of data on the mobile network, so that the traffic capacity can be shared among all,” said the executive president of the state enterprise, Mayra Arevich, quoted by the official Cubadebate site.
According to the official, since three days ago there has been a growth in traffic of more than 10% of additional volume on mobile networks, at a time when the government has asked Cubans to stay as long as possible in their homes and practice social isolation.
Added to this is the growing concern of people about the expansion of the coronavirus outbreak, which this Thursday had 67 confirmed cases and two deaths in Cuba, and their desire to communicate with family and friends living in other countries affected by the disease.
Arevich reported through the Twitter social network that ETECSA “is engaged in guaranteeing the stability of the voice and data network in times of constant vigilance over COVID-19 in the country.”
She explained that using mobile data requires seven times more network resources than voice.
“Voice calls guarantee fundamental communications with the emergency services and with our health system,” she said, and asked Cubans that “for the good of all, we take care of the network.”
However, she did not refer to the demand of many Cubans who these days have asked ETECSA to lower the prices of Internet connection and telephone service, in order to be well-informed about the evolution of the pandemic and communicate better with their loved ones inside and outside the island.
Nor did she mention the complaints of those who claim that connectivity and telephone service have worsened in recent days, although her statements are undoubtedly an indirect response to these allegations.
For her part, the vice president of Network Integration affirmed that the enterprise is working on capacity growth to receive more traffic and new customers.
“We are preparing 20 new radio bases that will start operating in the coming days. We maintain the vitality of all our services,” she was quoted by Cubadebate.
The publication affirms that, in collaboration with the island’s Ministry of Public Health, in recent days ETECSA has sent messages with health recommendations against COVID-19 to more than 6 million people in Cuba, while “supporting the telecommunications services of public health facilities where people affected by the disease are hospitalized.”
