Internet in Cuba

In 2015 the Cuban government opened a network of public WIFI spots throughout the island. It is common to see dozens of locals and foreigners seated along the sidewalks using their phones and laptops to connect to the internet in these areas. The internet connection is not very fast, but good enough for checking emails and catching up on some news. To access the WIFI internet you must find a WiFi hot spot (many parks have wifi and in Havana the area around the sea wall (Malecon) has wifi). The official cost to use the service is 1.50 CUC per hour of WIFI. You can buy the wifi cards at any ETECSA office (ETECSA is the national telecom provider in Cuba). However, beside the WIFI spots you will always find residents reselling their access cards for a small mark-up. You can purchase your WIFI time from one of these re-sellers if you cannot find an ETECSA office. Be discreet while purchasing these cards, as it is not legal for Cubans to sell their internet access to foreigners. You will not get in trouble for buying a card, but if the police sees a Cuban selling it to you, the Cuban will get a fine.

If you desire a more stable or robust internet connection you can use the WIFI located in higher end hotels or internet cafes throughout Cuba, which are starting to roll out these services. At all of these locations, you must always pay to use the internet. Cafes and hotels generally charge about 5 to 10 CUC per hour of usage. If you did not bring a computer with you to Cuba, many hotels offer computer terminals which are connected to the internet. The cost to use the terminal and internet is sometimes slightly higher than using just the WIFI with your own device.