Executives from the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) responded this Wednesday on the Mesa Redonda to public concerns about new commercial measures for prepaid customers.
Appearing live on the radio and television program were Lidia Esther Hidalgo Rodríguez, Commercial Vice President, and Arely González Fernández, Director of Institutional Relations of the aforementioned organization.
When referring to the question of why—if since 2021 a decrease in ETECSA’s income had been identified—no measures were taken earlier to mitigate it, the Commercial Vice President, Lidia Esther Hidalgo Rodríguez, explained that there was no inaction on the part of the company.
“In 2021, Cuba had only 143 GB of international output, and today that figure is already at 500 GB,” she said, noting that “the average internet consumption of our customers was 3.2 GB per user.” She added that “it is a context that has changed drastically, thanks to large investments and efforts in infrastructure.”
The executive pointed out that in 2021 ETECSA had seven million customers, but closed 2024 with eight million mobile customers. “This represents a challenge for mobile infrastructure.”
“During those years, 30,000 new accesses were created,” she indicated, and noted that “this is one of the services with the lowest penetration currently, which implies large investments in infrastructure.” In addition, she added that during that period more than 645,000 interruptions were attended to, facing high obsolescence of equipment, difficulties in obtaining resources, and continuous work on fixed and mobile networks. “These are the challenges that our workers overcome daily to keep the services active.”
According to Hidalgo Rodríguez, “based on that process, and observing the transformation of both our customers and costs—for the 500 GB we pay today are not equivalent to the 143 GB of international output from before—the company began to modernize its offerings.”
“When we started with mobile, we had international offers and promotions of ‘multiply by two’ or ‘by three’. Then we evolved to ‘multiply by five’, and in 2024 we reached ‘multiply by twelve’, competing with the informal rate to keep our offers attractive,” she said.
“We didn’t stop there: in November 2024 we launched a promotion asking customers to recharge only 50 pesos to reactivate international recharges. We also introduced for the first time an ‘Unlimited Browse’ plan, with which the network was stressed, but we made enormous commercial and technological efforts, including software developments to implement it,” she said.
In addition, she added, “we modernized services such as wallets for international transactions. For example, we launched offers for tourists, updated in 2023 according to their demands: some wanted 7-day packages, others extensible monthly. We also created new services with unlimited browsing.”
The ETECSA Commercial Vice President commented that “despite great efforts, international revenues continued to decline.”
She explained that the company continues to work with suppliers and creditors to renegotiate debts, obtain soft loans, and ensure the continuous growth of infrastructure. “Maintaining connectivity levels has been a great challenge, reaching a critical turning point: sustaining active suppliers and services over the international cable with that capacity, while ensuring internet and telephone access for all Cubans.”
She recalled that the original 143 GB included voice and SMS, which occupy little bandwidth (64 Kbps channels). “Two international star services were voice (international long distance, fundamental in the post-2004 digitalization) and roaming (crucial for tourists, although today it decreases because communicating by data is more economical). Of course, activating roaming implies substantial costs in dollars, and all countries warn about its high price.”
She pointed out that COVID-19 definitively transformed the landscape, directly impacting the arrival of tourists to the country. “Those revenues decreased and, additionally, so did the transformation of additional services.”
Growth of Fraud
On the other hand, the executive referred to the growth of fraud in international balance recharges. “We clarify that this is not related to the workers of ETECSA, although we have also faced cases of internal corruption.”
Hidalgo Rodríguez argued that “self-management platforms transformed the online service and facilitated processes. However, upon detecting that fraudulent recharges were being received at that time, we took measures. Since then, only two recharges per day are allowed through Transfermóvil or online services.”
“Additionally, we implemented measures with telecommunications agents, who, to some extent, facilitated fraud by having greater operational capabilities than our own channel. They are a very important distribution channel for us, which we also want to preserve.”
“We operate several networks in conjunction with other agencies, identifying all those involved in fraudulent actions. Of course, the services and distribution channels identified were closed. Even so, fraud mutates and reorganizes, and so far we have not been able to contain the entire chain of fraud associated with international recharges.”
“That is why we have made urgent efforts. The measure adopted also contemplates the containment of this fraud, although we recognize that it is practically impossible to eradicate it completely, since illegal activities almost always find gaps despite all our controls,” she said.
Access for All, According to Needs
The ETECSA Commercial Vice President added that this measure, in addition, guarantees access for all Cubans. “We reiterate that today they can access the internet with 6GB on average per month, without a purchase limit. In this way, the most vulnerable people we mentioned are covered with a base scenario of 360 pesos. With this amount, retirees and assisted persons can purchase the service.”
She indicated that “it is not mandatory to purchase the 6G or the 360 pesos; one can opt for packages of 120 or 240, since the needs for internet use are very particular. Not everyone uses the services in the same way or consumes the same applications,” she said.
“For this reason, we differentiate our offer with the agencies, attending to the individualities regarding the use of the internet for various activities,” she pointed out.
Hidalgo Rodríguez ratified that the measures were discussed on numerous occasions with the first level of management. “They asked us to re-evaluate, we evaluated proposals, we developed alternatives, and we conducted a continuous study to ensure that there was no other way to recover the necessary financing. The costs remain present and high, and we are committed to continuing to transform and ensure a level of access.”
She also noted that “digital transformation requires us to move forward because institutions require internet access to ensure agile operations in Cuba. We must continue to bet that this access is a fundamental axis for the transformation of the country. This is part of the philosophy that supports our actions.”
How to Make Better Use of Data Packages
The Commercial Vice President recalled that the 120-peso package, which previously included approximately 1.3 GB, now offers 2 GB. The same goes for the 240-peso package, which increased to 4 or 4.5 GB. In this way, both prices and capacities to enjoy the internet (whether 2 GB, 4.5 GB…) have improved.
“I reiterate the 4.5 GB because, although we are talking about 6 GB, it is always convenient to look for the best combination in these offers. It is not necessary to go directly to the 360-peso one, although it continues to be a simple option: I pay 360 and get 6GB. If I need more internet, I can buy the 120 and then the 240 (which gives 4.5 GB). If I require more voice minutes and SMS, I evaluate the combined offers. In addition, I reiterate that minutes and SMS can be purchased without limits through Transfermóvil or online services.”
She said that ETECSA is preparing an intermediate package to avoid having to resort to the purchase of extra plans. “The entire team has worked with great effort during the implementation and subsequently, and we hope to announce this new option soon, avoiding users having to assume such a high price.”
Contracts
Arely González Fernández, Director of Institutional Relations of ETECSA, explained that the company’s contract with its customers establishes a 30-day advance notice for changes in basic conditions or rates.
However, she said, “this commercial measure does not modify rates, but rather packages resources (voice, SMS) into ‘combos’ with prices based on Resolution 128/2020 (published in the Official Gazette 75/2020).”
She clarified that the contractual rates remain.
Basic Concepts
The executive illustrated that the concepts remain the same:
Recharge: Add money to the mobile phone balance.
Transfer: Move balance between two mobile phones (different from bank transfers).
Purchase of packages: Acquire plans using mobile balance or bank accounts via Transfermóvil.
As a key piece of advice, she pointed out that “to protect your main balance (renewable every 30 days), we recommend purchasing additional plans via Transfermóvil (*133 or mobile app), thus avoiding consuming the base balance.”
Likewise, regarding the 35-day validity, she clarified: “Before, everything had a 30-day validity. If a user bought a plan on the same day of recharging, on the 31st day they could not buy another plan without recharging again. Now, with 30-day recharges and 35-day plans, you can recharge before the current plan expires, protecting unused resources. This protects the rights of consumers and solves the concern of losing residual data.”
She commented that these concerns about the issue of balance, its validity, and data have generated valuable suggestions from customers in chats and social networks to optimize the use of resources.
Regarding the 500-peso recharge coupons, she pointed out that as they are no longer accepted, customers must go to commercial offices. “There they deliver the coupon and recharge the cell phone, but already through the system. This way they don’t lose the money.”
Meanwhile, Lidia Esther Hidalgo Rodríguez, Commercial Vice President of ETECSA, reiterated that at dawn, the data rate costs half. “If I have a megabyte, it yields double when browsing at night. At that time, applications and videos can be better downloaded, because the traffic is lower.”
“This measure has been established for a long time, but we hadn’t given it much publicity. It remains with the new regulations, because it is the moment when the network is in better condition for that type of download.”
Digital Payments, ToDus and Picta
She stressed that there are also free ToDus packages that can be purchased as many times as necessary. “They are worth 25 pesos in national currency and have 600 megabytes, and they even have a condition: messages are not passed, so the messaging is constantly free.”
Likewise, the executive indicated that digital payments can continue to be made in some way, through Transfermóvil and EnZona. “EnZona is completely free in data. We continue to bet on these options increasing and all that is national being used, as long as they solve the interests of the consumer.”
She commented that it has been proposed to create more channels in Picta, because it has a differentiated rate from many free channels. “It costs me less to watch a video on Picta than on YouTube. And if we created more Cuban content, we would be talking about defending our own, the development of computer universities and some companies.”
“The idea is to exchange more and more with the institutions and anyone who can contribute some element, so that what is consumed in Cuba yields more than what we pay abroad.”
Regarding data packages, she insisted on the combination of 120 with 240, instead of 360, and that they reach 6.5 G, which has 15 minutes and 20 sms. “And the one who wants more minutes and sms that goes to Transfermóvil.”
Another topic that was commented on in the Mesa Redonda was the use of the 8100 service to respond to contests and participate in commercial actions, as many users claim that now with the 360 the possibilities of doing so are reduced.
“All those services that Desoft provides in alliance with ETECSA for many years are of sms, therefore, they are not limited and I can continue acquiring them as many times as necessary through Transfermóvil, being another way of having information.”
Regarding Nauta, the vice president reiterated that it has no price changes and that it does not implement any modification, although “if it has a change of modality that will be announced in the summer. We will provide a lot of training to our customers on the subject.”
The Digital Transformation Continues
Hidalgo Rodríguez added that the dialogue with students and institutions carried out these days reaffirms that the country is immersed in a continuous exchange. “We are going to continue growing, deepening and obtaining important alliances with universities and IPVCEs, which today contribute a lot to the production systems, to generate new projects.”
“It is true that there is a level of dissatisfaction and rejection, but the debates have been rich and have allowed us to receive proposals. Digital transformation must continue to be the fundamental reality,” Hidalgo Rodríguez assured.
In the last minutes of the Mesa Redonda, Arely González Fernández, Central Director of Institutional Relations of ETECSA, said that since the measure was implemented, it has been characterized by interaction with the groups. “There are the houses of study, but we have also gone to companies and communities. The process is daily, it has been arduous and will continue.”
“It is very fruitful, because it is a physical space to explain the measure, listen to opinions. An exercise like this is where the effectiveness of communication is materialized,” she concluded.
(Taken from Cubadebate).
