Cuba to launch 3G nationwide in 2018

Cuban state telco Etecsa is in the process of upgrading its base stations and is due to launch 3G nationwide on the island in 2018 for normal citizens.

Etecsa's marketing head Gustavo López Cruz said that while there is no date yet set for completion of the work, it would be this year, according to local press. Upgrades have been underway since 2015.

At the beginning of February, satellite services provider SES Networks said it had signed an agreement with Etecsa to boost connectivity on the island, complementing the telco's existing terrestrial infrastructure with high-performance fiber, as well as medium earth orbit capacity.

In 2015, Cuba had the lowest rate of mobile telephony penetration in Latin America at 29.7%, half of that in Haiti (68.8%), according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

However, due to new policies to improve connectivity, allowing normal citizens to own mobile phones since 2008 and access the internet since 2013, communications have been improving in recent years.