Havana/“The birthday photos command them next month because I no longer have Megas“, It was the last message Natacha received from her sister two weeks ago. The constant exchange of images and videos for WhatsApp was the bridge that kept these two women separated by more than 600 kilometers: one in Havana, the other in the tunas. Now, after the Rate imposed by Etecsa Two months agothose contacts have been diluted in increasingly long silences.
“Between the blackouts and how expensive the Internet has put on, we can hardly see us,” Natacha laments, a nurse by profession. His talks with his sister were never just to catch up. “My sister takes care of my mother, who suffers from Lupus. As I am a nurse, I gave him advice for day to day,” he explains. With each video call, Natacha guided his sister: a photo of a new skin injury, a video with the preparation of a puree so that his mother could swallow better during a crisis, even images that helped him evaluate digestive problems.
Since May 30, Etecsa limited recharges in Cuban pesos and more expensive web navigation, while incentive the recharges from abroad to capture currencies in the midst of their financial crisis. The measure changed suddenly Digital routine of thousands of families, forcing them to administer to the last Megabyte.
The measure changed the digital routine of thousands of families, forcing them to administer to the last Megabyte.
For Natacha, that administration has been painful. “Nothing to watch live videos or accompany my mother at lunch with my mobile phone so that I did not feel alone. Now I buy the package only for the basics. I have already passed up to two weeks without seeing it on the screen,” he admits with regret.
Olivia, a young 18 -year -old Pinareña, has also felt the blow. Her daily connection with a friend who studies at the Higher Institute of Art in Havana went from theatrical essays to simple text messages. “I gave her ideas for the work while she rehearsed, it was like being there. Now none of that,” he says. No own employment, it is up to their parents – both state workers – finance mobile data, but they They cannot pay Currency refills. “I asked for help a cousin in Miami, but neither work permit has now. Throw a end“, regrets.
Meanwhile, emigrants who can send balance from abroad They have swell The Etecsa coffers. In mid -July, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reported to Parliament that the company had raised more than 24.8 million dollars in just over a month, confirming what students And users were denouncing that the company seeks to “prioritize currencies over the clients of the island.”
The rise in rates has widened the gap between those who have access to the foreign currency and those who depend on the Cuban weight
The rise in rates has widened the gap between those who have access to the foreign currency and those who depend on the Cuban weight. Olivia summarizes his new digital routine in a phrase: “I have had to learn to save each mega“. With the limit of 360 pesos monthly to recharge national balance, a user can only buy a basic 6 GB package, 60 minutes of calls and 70 SMS. If you want more, you must jump to the extra packages: 3 GB by 3,360 pesos, 7 GB for 6.720 or the dreamed 15 GB package by 11,760 pesos, almost double the average salary.
In parallel, some private businesses have benefited from the climb. “I have recovered many clients who spent the day on YouTube or Netflix,” admits a seller of the package at its premises near Infanta and San Lázaro, in Centro Habana. “Now they come to look for series and films downloaded because they cannot pay the streaming“. Although the cost of the gigabyte that buys its suppliers, which download the web audiovisuals, also rose, compensates for the increase in clientele.
In this new landscape, a few have seen their profits grow while most adjust expenses, reduce calls and leave off screens. For Natacha, who observes impotent how his everyday bond with his mother and his sister is reduced to brief calls of voice, the conclusion is clear: “The rate has left us incommunicado and, in the end, Etecsa is the only one who wins.”
