Cuba: Youths go Wi-Fi crazy as state relaxes internet restrictions

Cubans were glued to their phones in Havana on Saturday, July 11, after the Cuban government opened up 35 Wi-Fi access points nationwide, offering online access in a country which has until now had restricted the use of the internet. The Cuban government has also cut the price for internet access from $4.50 (€ 4.08) to $2 (€ 1.81) an hour. Before Wi-Fi signals became available on June 24, broadband internet access was only available to desktops at state internet cafes and upmarket hotels. The communist-led island currently has one of the lowest internet usage rates in the world, with only 3.4 percent of Cuban homes connected to the service, according to the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency. The recent development is reportedly related to the warming of relations between Cuba and America. The two countries recently decided to reopen embassies as of July 20. In January, US President Barack Obama relaxed economic sanctions Cuban telecommunications, reportedly with the hope to promoting the internet in Cuba.