Related videos:
In the Telephone Service Center of ETECSA in Cienfuegos, a young executive works who stands out for a curious reason: Noel Ernesto Dorado García is the only man in a predominantly female team, a rarity in a space historically dominated by women that makes him, in his own way, a king without a crown.
With just three years of experience as an executive in Telematics, Noel navigates shifts, calls, and colleagues in an environment where camaraderie, according to the state monopoly's own institutional publication, "is the key to success."
ETECSA's propaganda portrays him as an example of dedication: someone who "provides clear and honest answers" and who views "every call as an opportunity to help and connect."
One of his most unforgettable experiences was serving users from the eastern provinces during the last hurricane, when the volume of calls and the distress on the other end of the line tested his patience.
But the institutional narrative itself reveals the reality: "in critical moments, such as service outages, many calls come in that require ongoing attention, patience, and transparency."
In other words, Noel and his colleagues face daily frustration from a population that pays more for less and, in many cases, does not even receive service.
ETECSA is not just any company facing occasional issues.
It is a state monopoly confirmed until 2036 —with an option for extension until 2066— that offers the slowest internet in Latin America: only 7.21 Mbps according to the Speedtest Global Index of May 2026, ranking last in the entire region.
Power outages, which exceed 16 hours daily in some areas, render 47.5% of mobile radio bases and 56.5% of telecommunications cabinets non-operational nationwide.
In March 2026, a massive blackout knocked out 65% of internet traffic for 29 consecutive hours.
This is compounded by the so-called "tarifazo" of May 2025, which restricted top-ups in Cuban pesos to 360 CUP per month and dollarized the data plans.
A three-gigabyte package costs 3,360 CUP, which is more than the minimum monthly salary of 2,100 CUP—around five dollars—making internet access an unaffordable luxury for most Cubans.
A year after the price hike, ETECSA raised millions but the speed did not improve. Cuba continues to be the laggard in the region.
And those who bear the weight of this reality are precisely the workers at the CAT: the telemarketing executives —and Noel, the only king of the team— who handle call after call without being able to resolve the underlying issue.
Noel values the legacy of the pioneers who worked with peg panels during the Special Period and celebrates that "youth and experience form a perfect alliance."
What cannot change from its position is that, decades later, the employees of CAT continue to be the human face of a system that the monopoly itself cannot guarantee.
Filed under: