ETECSA addressed its users this Sunday to explain why their mobile phones displayed a time different from the official one, after Cuba decided not to adjust the clocks on November 1, as has been the tradition at the end of daylight saving time.
The background of the measure is the severe energy crisis facing the island. On October 24, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) jointly announced that Cuba would maintain daylight saving time (UTC−4) continuously until November 7, 2027, arguing that this would prevent an estimated increase of 126 MW in electricity demand during peak hours: 76 MW due to reduced use of artificial lighting and 50 MW from better utilization of photovoltaic solar generation.
As a complementary measure, the Ministry of Education adjusted the start times for schools and workplaces, delaying them by 30 minutes from November 1, 2026, to March 14, 2027, to compensate for the fact that dawn occurs later in winter with the current daylight saving time.
The immediate consequence was that Cuba is now one hour ahead of Miami, as Florida did return to standard time (UTC−5) this Sunday.
In this context, ETECSA published a statement on its social media assuring that the telecommunications network was adjusted without any issues. "The equipment that makes up the telecommunications network is configured for automatic time change, so in recent days, efforts were made to create the conditions for this Sunday to maintain the operation of these systems without change, which was successfully achieved," stated the state-owned company.
However, he acknowledged that the problem lies with the users: "Many users may perceive that their mobile devices have indeed adjusted to the time change, and this is because the operating systems of these devices are already predefined with Cuba's time zone, which in many cases they take as a preference."
To resolve it, the company offered a five-step guide: go to Settings/System, access Date and Time, disable the Automatic time option, set the clock forward by one hour, and verify that the time is correct.
The reaction of Cubans on social media blended sarcasm with disbelief. While ETECSA proclaimed the success of the adjustment, the comments told a different story. "Do they say in the text that they achieved it satisfactorily? I haven't met anyone whose schedule hasn't reverted to normal. Every day we wake up with something to entertain ourselves with," wrote one user.
Another person reported an additional issue: "My phone changed the time automatically, and when I tried to connect, not even the mobile data would activate. The moment I changed the time, then the data activated. I'm speechless." A third person attempted to follow ETECSA's instructions without success: "I did that, and it still changed." Many, half jokingly and half seriously, were asking what the correct time actually was.
Dark humor quickly emerged. "It doesn't matter, in Cuba time stopped in '59," declared an internet user. Another summed up the situation with a sharp comment: "They're playing at advancing while moving backward..." Someone else pointed out more bluntly: "Cuba as always... Peeing against the current."
The episode takes on a particular dimension when considering that the Cuban electricity crisis results in blackouts that typically exceed 20 hours a day in Havana and can last for consecutive days in other provinces.
The very infrastructure of ETECSA suffers the consequences of the energy crisis: during the national blackout on September 18, 2026, more than 80% of the base station sites were out of service, and internet traffic recorded a drop of up to 58% compared to similar periods, as acknowledged by the state-owned company.
Of the approximately 2,520 radio bases in the country, only about half have some form of backup energy system, according to figures gathered by the Cuban press.
The next scheduled time change in Cuba will be on November 7, 2027, when clocks will need to be set back one hour to return to standard time UTC−5, unless the regime decides to extend the measure again.
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