Only days after the announcement of the new ETECSA rates and the restriction on the use of the Cuban peso (CUP) for mobile services, an informal market is already beginning to emerge that trades foreign currency balance as a commodity.
Screenshots of conversations are circulating on social media in which a package of 360 pesos in credit—only available through international recharge—is being offered for the sum of 1,000 Cuban pesos.
The phenomenon has quickly sparked outrage among users, who believe that the state-owned Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) has presented a new opportunity for informal business on a silver platter, while restricting legitimate access in national currency to a basic service.
"The international balance is already being sold on social media. 360 pesos for a modest 1,000 CUP. And they're still trying to explain this to the people," denounced Cuban lawyer Manuel Viera on . "To exercise your right to information and communication through a company that is supposedly for the people, we will have to accept being extorted, being robbed once again."
Since May 30, ETECSA has removed the option to use CUP for paying for mobile data, messages, and calls, a measure that has been perceived by large sectors of the population as a “covert dollarization” of the service.
By limiting recharges in Cuban pesos (CUP) to a maximum of 360 within a 30-day period, the state-owned company forces customers to purchase larger data packages in U.S. dollars (USD) or at excessive costs in CUP. This measure has generated criticism for excluding those who do not have access to foreign currency.
Cubans who do not have access to dollars or cannot afford an additional 3GB for over 3,000 CUP can only purchase a package of 6 GB for 360 CUP per month, which is insufficient for their daily internet needs. This deepens inequality and limits connectivity for a significant portion of the population.
Now, to stay connected, Cubans need to receive international top-ups in USD, EUR, or MLC, or buy credit indirectly in the informal market.
"The impact has been immediate," noted a user on Facebook. "They not only limit access but also push people to seek illegal or disadvantageous alternatives. Who benefits from this measure?"
ETECSA, for its part, has attempted to justify the rate hike by stating that the Cuban peso “has no market,” according to recent comments from its president Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, who will appear again this Sunday on television to explain the controversial measure.
The management, which was present on Friday at the Mesa Redonda, stated that “there is a market outside of Cuba that wants to communicate with their relatives” and that the new offers aim to cater to this segment of customers as well.
However, the explanations fail to convince most users, who see an increase in the cost of an essential service and a deepening inequality in access to information.
Meanwhile, the digital balance—like a currency—is already priced on the street: 360 pesos from ETECSA in exchange for 1,000 CUP. This is yet another example of how the informal economy quickly responds to the imbalances of the Cuban state model, and how connectivity, instead of being a right, has become a privilege.
In the words of the user identified as Alex Umur, in this scenario, Cubans are adding a new necessity dictated by the black market. “Juancito has a family member over there who sends him a top-up, Juancito sells the balance from that top-up, you buy balance from Juancito, and you will be able to stay connected. Now the question is what price Juancito will sell the balance for,” the young man explained, reflecting the digital inequality in the country.
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