Cuba USA
A short Granma article confirms that the ALBA-1 cable is being tested.
The article says the cable was operational last August and has been used for traffic quality testing on the Internet since January 10.
The article concludes with a disclaimer saying that when testing is complete there will not be automatic improvement of access since they must make investments in the domestic telecommunications infrastructure, which will require increased foreign exchange resources. The plan is to gradually increase socially useful use of the link.
We have been tracking the progress of the cable for some time, and long ago pointed out that without major domestic infrastructure investment, the cable would be a strong link in a very weak chain. The Cuban, Venezuelan and Chinese policy makers and technicians working on this project had to be aware of this imbalance.
I have received informal reports of fiber being laid in certain parts of Havana, but tremendous investment would be needed to deliver anything like modern Internet connectivity to a broad segment of the population. It is hard to imagine that happening without major changes in government policy and institutions.
- Has The Alba-1 Undersea Cable Changed Anything?
In January, I posted a note about a blog post by Renesys analyst Doug Madory showing that Cuba had begun testing the ALBA-1 undersea cable. Madory's data shows the round trip "ping" times for packets traveling between Cuba and four other cities. ...
- What's Up With The Alba-1 Cable? Time To Follow The Money.
MIC Minisiter Maimir Mesa commenting on the ALBA-1 cableLast week I received an email from Doug Madory of Renesys Corporation, the Internet monitoring company. Doug is the analyst who, last May, provided us with smoking-gun evidence that the ALBA-1 undersea...
- Limited Pilot Testing Of The Alba-1 Cable?
Muchas Gracias sent us a link to an article in which Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelan minister of Science and Technology says the cable is operational, but not saying what it was being used for (http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/11252-venezuela-asegura-que-el-cable-de-internet-esta-absolutamente-operativo)....
- What Happened To The Alba-1 Undersea Cable?
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) Associated Press reporter Andrea Rodgriguez, @ARodriguezAP, has published an article stating that "mystery shrouds the fate" of the ALBA-1 undersea cable linking Venezuela and Cuba. Cuban officials promised that the cable...
- Cuba Needs A Domestic Upgrade To Utilize The Alba Cable. Will China Help?
Commemorating 50 years of Cuba-China relationsThe Cuba-Venezuela undersea cable will soon be operational. In our report on the Cuban Internet, we discussed the cable and China's role in its financing and construction. We mentioned a report stating...
Cuba USA
Cuban Government acknowledges test of the ALBA-1 cable
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The article says the cable was operational last August and has been used for traffic quality testing on the Internet since January 10.
The article concludes with a disclaimer saying that when testing is complete there will not be automatic improvement of access since they must make investments in the domestic telecommunications infrastructure, which will require increased foreign exchange resources. The plan is to gradually increase socially useful use of the link.
We have been tracking the progress of the cable for some time, and long ago pointed out that without major domestic infrastructure investment, the cable would be a strong link in a very weak chain. The Cuban, Venezuelan and Chinese policy makers and technicians working on this project had to be aware of this imbalance.
I have received informal reports of fiber being laid in certain parts of Havana, but tremendous investment would be needed to deliver anything like modern Internet connectivity to a broad segment of the population. It is hard to imagine that happening without major changes in government policy and institutions.
- Has The Alba-1 Undersea Cable Changed Anything?
In January, I posted a note about a blog post by Renesys analyst Doug Madory showing that Cuba had begun testing the ALBA-1 undersea cable. Madory's data shows the round trip "ping" times for packets traveling between Cuba and four other cities. ...
- What's Up With The Alba-1 Cable? Time To Follow The Money.
MIC Minisiter Maimir Mesa commenting on the ALBA-1 cableLast week I received an email from Doug Madory of Renesys Corporation, the Internet monitoring company. Doug is the analyst who, last May, provided us with smoking-gun evidence that the ALBA-1 undersea...
- Limited Pilot Testing Of The Alba-1 Cable?
Muchas Gracias sent us a link to an article in which Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelan minister of Science and Technology says the cable is operational, but not saying what it was being used for (http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/11252-venezuela-asegura-que-el-cable-de-internet-esta-absolutamente-operativo)....
- What Happened To The Alba-1 Undersea Cable?
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) Associated Press reporter Andrea Rodgriguez, @ARodriguezAP, has published an article stating that "mystery shrouds the fate" of the ALBA-1 undersea cable linking Venezuela and Cuba. Cuban officials promised that the cable...
- Cuba Needs A Domestic Upgrade To Utilize The Alba Cable. Will China Help?
Commemorating 50 years of Cuba-China relationsThe Cuba-Venezuela undersea cable will soon be operational. In our report on the Cuban Internet, we discussed the cable and China's role in its financing and construction. We mentioned a report stating...