The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
62°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Cubans getting early taste of mobile internet in system test

Two women surf the internet on their smartphones at a public Wi-Fi hotspot Monday, June 25, 2018, on the wall of the Malecon seafront boulevard in Havana, Cuba. (Desmond Boylan / AP)
Associated Press

HAVANA – One of the world’s least-wired countries is getting a little more connected.

Cubans with cellphones are getting mobile access to the internet in a tentative but significant opening of communications on the communist-governed island.

The state telecommunications company made mobile internet available at no cost starting early Wednesday for what it described in an announcement as a test of the network that would run through the day.

It follows two previous tests that that the company says have connected 800,000 people to the internet.

Public access to the internet in Cuba was limited to tourist hotels until 2013. The government has since authorized Wi-Fi hotspots and cybercafes. The company has previously said all 5 million of its customers would have internet access this year.