The Cuban Manuel Pupo Pérez launched a harsh criticism against ETECSA for the poor quality of the connection, the restrictions imposed on top-ups in national currency, and the loss of unused resources when plans expire, a situation he compared to “conscious theft”.
Pupo, who identified himself as a client of the state company and a Cuban citizen, published this Wednesday on Facebook an open letter dated August 30 and addressed to the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Minister of Communications, and the management of ETECSA.
"It is truly incomprehensible how an entity like ETECSA can justify charging for a service that is so systematically inefficient," he stated.
The user specifically questioned the limitations affecting those who pay for their services in Cuban pesos and stated that these directly impact "the wallet and communication needs of the average Cuban."
Currently, national top-ups are limited to a maximum of 360 CUP within a 30-day period.
With that balance, you can purchase, among other options, a plan that includes 6 GB of data, 60 minutes, and 70 SMS, as well as 300 MB for domestic browsing.
The plans are valid for 35 days, and the resources can accumulate if the user purchases another compatible plan before it expires.
Precisely on the expiration of those resources, Pupo focused one of his most severe criticisms.
"The most alarming thing, and I dare say, ethically questionable, is the practice of
The Cuban stated that clients end up caught in "a perpetual cycle of spending" to avoid losing the resources they have acquired, even though, as he reported, they often cannot properly enjoy the service due to connectivity issues.
Pupo also urged the authorities to amend certain rules that he considers inadequate and unfair.
"The rules, although imposed, are not immutable. You have shown on other occasions the ability to modify guidelines that, after their implementation, have proven to be deficient or unjust. It is time to reflect deeply and change the rules of the game," he stated.
He also stated that his dissatisfaction is not an isolated case and assured that it reflects the feelings of many users of the company.
"The people, your clients, are dissatisfied with your services. I speak personally, but I know that I represent the collective feelings of thousands of users who daily suffer from the inefficiency of your provisions," he stated.
The citizen concluded his letter by demanding a public response from the authorities and specifically requested that it be made through Facebook, rather than through a private communication.
"Transparency and commitment to those they represent must take precedence in this matter," he stated.
Criticism arises more than a year after ETECSA imposed new restrictions on national top-ups in Cuban pesos and increased the prominence of offers marketed in dollars, measures that sparked strong opposition among users on the island.
The discontent even prompted the independent organization Cubalex to provide a resource for Cubans tofile formal complaints against the so-called "rate hike".
ETECSA argued that it needed to generate foreign currency to sustain and modernize the telecommunications infrastructure.
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero later reported that the company had raised over $24.8 million during the first 46 days of implementing the measures.
However, a year later, complaints about the poor connectivity and the lack of visible improvements in the service continued.
Criticism has also come from well-known figures within Cuba.
In August, the comedian Ulises Toirac demanded that ETECSA invest the money collected to improve its infrastructure or allow alternatives like Starlink.
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