Google signed a new agreement with the government of Cuba on Monday. The deal includes granting Internet users on the Communist-run island quicker access to its branded content. The deal will not expand access to the internet in Cuba, but Google services will load much faster.
Google Strikes A Deal To Cuba's Telecommunications Monopoly For Faster Internet Access
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, signed the deal with Mayra Arevich Marin, president of state telecommunications monopoly ETECSA. It grants Cubans speedy access to the Google Global Cache network, which stores content from sites like Gmail and YouTube on servers located closer to end users. In a country where public Internet access is limited to slow and expensive Wi-Fi hot spots, it was not clear how the deal would actually impact service in the short term.
“This deal allows ETECSA to use our technology to reduce latency by caching some of our most popular high-bandwidth content like YouTube videos at a local level,” a Google statement said according to Fortune. “This may improve reception of cached materials, but not for example email which depends on local bandwidth,” a local telecommunications technician said, requesting anonymity for fear of losing his job.
How Is This Possible?
Aljazeera reported that U.S. has had virtually no economic ties with Cuba for more than five decades owing to Washington-imposed trade sanctions. But hopes of better relations have been revived since 2015 when President Barack Obama re-established diplomatic ties between the two countries.
According to Engadget, as part of the deal, Google will install servers on the island, allowing ETECSA to locally cache and serve the most popular high-bandwidth content, like YouTube videos. This reduces latency, giving Cubans who already have access to the internet a better quality of service.
"Cubans who already have access to the internet and want to use our services can expect to see an improvement," said Marian Croak, vice president of access strategy and emerging markets, and Brett Perlmutter, head of strategy and operations at Google Cuba, in a blog post. Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt signed the deal with ETECSA, Cuba's state-run telecommunications provider, in Havana on Monday.
