Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez affirmed this Thursday that the concretion of a Submarine cable between Florida (USA) and the Island would be a positive step and would expand Internet access for Cubans.
From his Twitter account, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) also pointed out that by denying an underwater connection, the Washington government contradicts its stated position of supporting access to internet services in the Caribbean country.
Establish a submarine cable connection between Florida and #Cuba It would be a positive step for both countries and would expand Cubans’ access to the Internet. Denying it contradicts the position declared by the US government in May 2022.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) December 15, 2022
Rodríguez Parrilla’s statements come after last november 30 The US Department of Justice will recommend to the Federal Communications Commission to deny a permit for the installation of a first submarine cable that would connect US territory with the Island.
The ARCOS-1 USA Inc. underwater cable system had made a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adapt its network to include the first and only connection of its kind between the US and Cuba, according to a report efe.
Soon after, her own Telecommunications Company of Cuba SA announced that it had signed a contract with the French telecommunications company Orange SA to deploy a submarine fiber optic cable that will connect the island of Martinique and Cienfuegos.
The signing of the agreement a week later marked the beginning of the technological operation for which the cable ship Pierre de Fermat was already on the Island, which, according to the information available, had arrived in Cienfuegos from Fort de France, Martinique.
According to the Marinetraffic website, the Pierre de Fermat was on Friday crossing between Jamaica and Haiti.
The cable is 2,500 kilometers long and would be available next year. The project bears the name of “Arimao”, in reference to the river that runs from the Sierra del Escambray to the bay of Cienfuegos.
Cuba has a submarine cable, installed late in 2012 through ALBA-1. This connects La Guaira on the Venezuelan north coast with Siboney in Santiago de Cuba.
Until the commissioning of ALBA-1 in 201, Cuba only had a satellite connection, which was more expensive and less efficient for the country’s connectivity needs.
Installation of the submarine cable that will unite Cuba with Martinique begins
Last May, the United States Department of State announced limited measures towards Cuba, reversing some of the 240 regulations adopted by former President Donald Trump, according to remember the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
The current administration declared that it would encourage the growth of the Cuban private sector by supporting greater access to Internet services, applications and e-commerce platforms from the United States, this source points out, however little has been done.
