Dozens of Cubans living abroad have been unable to communicate with their relatives in Isla de la Juventud for several days, where mobile phone services have been interrupted since Monday, September 8, due to damage to the links connecting the territory to the national telecommunications network.
A woman identified as Geida Ponciano recorded a video on Facebook that garnered over 4,500 views, in which she tearfully shared her distress over not having heard from her mother since Monday.
«Those of us on this side are suffering. Not being able to talk to our family members. In my case, it's my mother. It's my mother, please. If you have your mother alive, try to understand me», Ponciano expressed in the video.
The woman also pointed out the cruel paradox of the situation: those outside the island cannot guide their relatives on how to connect, because that information has to come from within.
"We can't get it to him because we can't tell our relatives how they can connect, whether it's through a VPN or if it's with an antenna that needs to be paid for. I don't know how to do it. They need to communicate that, please, be human," he demanded.
Another video, published by Frank García Martínez, summarized the human impact of the crisis: "Four days of silence mean four days of anguish for thousands of people. We are not asking for privileges. We are asking for something basic. The ability to communicate with our family."
In the comments on these posts, the pain multiplied. One user wrote: "Today marks five days since Monday without hearing from my kids and my mom; my heart is heavy."
Another person added: "I can't take this anymore, not knowing about my family, whether they have food or water. It's very hard for those of us who are far away." A third comment pointed directly at the regime: "It's sad; I haven't spoken to my mom in days. And no one seems to care. Cuba is falling apart, and those who treat it like a farm don't care. We're in a country where everything is terrible. How much longer?"
Some users pointed out that those appearing to be connected from the Island were actually outside the territory, possibly in Havana, which would explain why information wasn't circulating from within.
A user mentioned having contacted a man with internet access who specializes in remittances, as the only alternative means of communication.
ETECSA acknowledged days ago that the repairs are being carried out under "complex conditions" due to the nature of the underwater cables, with the involvement of specialists from the company and Geocuba. However, they did not provide an estimated date for restoration nor specify the exact cause of the damage. Fixed-line phone services were also partially affected, limited to local calls.
Communication breakdown does not occur in a vacuum. Isla de la Juventud is facing a severe electricity crisis that worsened throughout 2026: blackouts increased from four hours a day in February to 18 hours in May and up to 22 hours in July.
On August 18, the territory was left almost entirely without electricity, with power reserved only for the hospital and water pumping. ETECSA has acknowledged that its network cannot sustain itself for more than 24 hours without electrical supply, making each prolonged blackout a direct threat to telecommunications.
The breakdown in September adds to a series of accumulated failures: SMS outages that left Transfermóvil out of service on September 2, an optical fiber cut that affected Nauta payments on August 17, and a national disruption of mobile phone service due to a generator failure on August 3.
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