Nearly 24,000 telephone lines remain out of service in Santiago de Cuba following the passage of Hurricane Melissa

Almost 24,000 telephone lines remain out of service in Santiago de Cuba, more than two weeks after Hurricane Melissa caused severe damage to the province's telecommunications infrastructure.

The information was disclosed this Monday by the official broadcaster CMKC Radio Revolución on Facebook, citing statements from Arleen Labañino, a communication specialist from the Territorial Division of ETECSA in Santiago de Cuba.

According to the state company, out of a total of 97,205 basic telephone lines, 23,898 are affected, representing 45.1% of the service, in addition to 78 radio bases and several transmission towers with structural damage.

Labañino noted that, out of the 702 affected poles—both broken and turned—604 have been restored, while several integrated cabinets and telephone exchanges remain unrepaired, leaving large areas of the territory without communication.

The official assured that they are working "with unity, commitment, and resilience" to restore services "as quickly as possible," although she acknowledged the complexity of the damages and the geographical challenges in eastern Cuba, one of the regions hardest hit by the hurricane.

The recovery efforts involve 17 line crews, 30 pairs of cables and fiber optics, two interruption teams, and 29 repair crews, according to the official report.

However, the state-owned ETECSA did not specify concrete deadlines for the full restoration of service, nor did it detail the number of customers still without mobile or fixed coverage.

Hurricane Melissa struck eastern Cuba on October 29, leaving significant damage to homes, electrical grids, telecommunications, and essential services in provinces such as Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, and Las Tunas.

ETECSA, the sole telecommunications provider in the country, has faced strong criticism for its slow service repairs, high costs, and inefficiency in its infrastructure, issues that are exacerbated in emergency situations like the current one.

The latest official report on the recovery of telecommunications in eastern Cuba, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, is dated November 3.

On that occasion, ETECSA acknowledged that 80% of mobile phone services in the eastern region and 40% of fixed phone services remained interrupted.

Santiago de Cuba was the most disadvantaged province, with only 3% of fixed services and 18% of mobile radio bases restored.

According to the state company, the greatest damage was concentrated in the municipalities of Guamá, Segundo Frente, and Tercer Frente, where the fiber optic infrastructure suffered severe cuts.

In those areas, communication was "limited," and the repair of the main routes was prioritized.