Google and Cuba agreement could bring Internet faster on the island

Once the fiber optic cable is installed, Cuban citizens will have faster access to content hosted on Google's servers and the Cuban government will realize cost savings. At the moment, ETECSA has to pay third party fees for the transfer of traffic to sites such as YouTube, Google Maps and Google.com.

Google and Cuba have a history of collaboration. Even before US-Cuban relations improve, Google has made Chrome available for free throughout the country. In 2016, Obama touted Google's plans to introduce the Internet to Cuba. Shortly after, Google installed local servers to accelerate its services and became in 2017 the first foreign Internet company to install on the island.

Given that Cuba tested the Internet at home for the first time in 2016 and that it launched last summer the mobile internet all over the country, the country has come a long way in a relatively short period. Although there is no proposed schedule for the new fiber optic cable, this agreement establishes a team of engineers to sort out the necessary details and launch the project.