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An official from ETECSA publicly acknowledged that the telecommunications infrastructure in Cuba cannot remain operational for more than 24 hours without electricity supply, an admission that highlights the extent to which the energy crisis is affecting telephone and internet services on the island.
Gustavo López Cruz, head of the commercial department of ETECSA in Sancti Spíritus, explained in statements to Radio Vitral that prolonged blackouts and the scarcity of fuel for the generators have put the company in an increasingly difficult situation.
"The reality is that it is not possible to keep this technology running for more than 24 hours without grid power," she stated.
The statement comes at a time when numerous towns in Cuba are facing power outages of up to 18 hours a day, while some communities have been experiencing extremely limited electrical service for weeks.
According to López Cruz, power outages are currently the primary cause of interruptions in landline phone service, mobile phone service, and internet access.
In the province of Sancti Spíritus, only 21 out of the 70 central and telephone exchanges have backup generators, a situation that leaves more than 288,000 mobile lines and approximately 11,400 Nauta Hogar service customers vulnerable.
The problem, however, extends across the entire country. Data provided by the company itself indicates that power outages leave approximately 47.5% of mobile base stations and 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets non-operational nationwide.
The executive also explained that the backup batteries frequently malfunction due to incomplete charging cycles caused by the instability of the electrical system. Additionally, there is reduced solar energy generation during the rainy season and periods of high cloud cover.
"We have made adjustments to the schedule because, during such long periods without power, the equipment cannot perform optimally; alarms are triggered that completely disconnect them, which is why there are complaints that the services are not actually available," he acknowledged.
In light of the worsening situation, ETECSA has expedited the installation of photovoltaic systems in several municipalities across the country as an emergency alternative.
One of the examples can be found in Jobabo, Las Tunas, where 54 solar panels of 620 watts were installed along with a battery bank capable of sustaining the telecommunications infrastructure for seven to eight hours. However, this time is well below the more than 24 hours that the company itself considers necessary to cope with the current power outages.
Part of this equipment comes from a Chinese donation consisting of 5,000 photovoltaic systems valued at over 114 million dollars. Of that total, 2,671 units were allocated to strategically important centers in 168 municipalities across the country, including 240 for ETECSA installations.
Nevertheless, the limitations persist. The regulations of the National Office for the Control of Rational Energy Use (ONURE) prevent batteries from being recharged using the conventional electrical grid, meaning they rely exclusively on solar energy, a condition that reduces their effectiveness during prolonged blackout periods.
The crisis has also exposed these infrastructures to new problems. In Santiago de Cuba, at least three solar panel thefts have been reported between May and June of this year, incidents that left several telecommunications nodes without energy backup and affected more than 560 users.
Meanwhile, the company has been compelled to prioritize the protection of certain points deemed essential for the operation of the national network. In Sancti Spíritus, efforts are focused on keeping the facilities in the provincial capitals of Trinidad and Cabaiguán operational, while numerous rural communities remain isolated during the longer blackouts.
Infrastructure deterioration is also occurring in a context where Cuba has one of the worst internet connections in Latin America. According to the global Speedtest index, the island ranks last in the region, with an average speed of only 7.21 Mbps.
The fragility of the system was once again exposed in March 2026, when a massive blackout caused a 65% drop in national internet traffic and the full restoration of services took nearly 29 hours.
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