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Feature: Cultural center offers 1st free Wi-Fi service in Cuba

Xinhua, March 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cuban government has allowed the first free, public Wi-Fi service recently at a cultural center in Havana, as it is loosening grip on Internet access in the country.

The cultural center, located in western Havana, is run by a Cuban artist known as Kcho. The Wi-Fi comes from his personal Internet connection, and is permitted by the government.

Kcho, 45, pays the cost of the free Wi-Fi service, which allows 15 simultaneous connections. He did not say an exact amount but said "it is a bit expensive."

"If we are able to share it, we will share it. That is the idea," said Kcho, whose social action has tremendous recognition in the island. Kcho told Xinhua the project is part of a broad cultural community work.

As a famous painter in Cuba, Kcho is believed to have close ties with the government, as the retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro attended the opening of the cultural center in January 2014.

Even though the service runs slow compared with that in many other places of the world, the hub is crowded by tech-savvy millennials who use their mobile phones, laptops and tablets to surf the web in a country where Internet access is difficult and expensive.

Jose Daniel Garcia, a medical student and regular visitor of the hub, said it is a great idea because "it is fantastic that anybody can come here and connect free and without restrictions."

"You come here, you sit down and you can enjoy social networks or download some stuff to study," he said.

The network's password in Spanish is "aquinoserindenadie", which means "Nobody gives up here," an old revolutionary slogan referring to the island's resistance against the U.S. embargo for over 50 years.

Tamara Lopez, 34, a hairdresser, said it is "a brilliant idea" to have this service.

Sitting in a bench under the shade of a large awning that covers the Caribbean burning sun, Lopez searched for the new hairdressing trends on her laptop.

Antonio Hermes, who has a technical degree in Computer Science, said he goes to Kcho's center almost everyday to stay connected with his friends.

Cuba's state-owned Telecommunications Company SC (Etecsa) is the only provider of Internet service in the island at about 100 public centers. They charge 4.5 Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) per hour, equivalent to 4.5 U.S. dollars, which is very expensive for common Cubans who earn only 20 dollars a month on average. Endi