ETECSA and Google sign agreement to improve the Internet in Cuba

This Thursday, March 28, 2019, executives of the Cuban Telecommunications Company SA, ETECSA, and official representatives of the United States company Google, signed a mutual understanding agreement in the capital city of the island, Havana, which aims to begin the negotiation of a future agreement for the provision of an Internet traffic exchange service, according to the official information website. cubadebate.

This Internet traffic exchange service is technically known as Peering, or direct connection, traffic exchange, or pairing. This service will contribute to improving the quality of access to Internet content for Cuban users.

This mutual understanding agreement was signed by Luis Adolfo Iglesias Reyes, Vice President of Investments at the Cuban Telecommunications Company SA, and Brett Perlmutter, head of the US company Google in Cuba.

As stated in an official statement released to the media at a press conference by both parties, the work intentions contained in this memorandum of understanding will be implemented when the island's technical conditions allow it.

Luis Adolfo Iglesias Reyes, Vice President of Investments at ETECSA, thanked the Google team in Cuba for their collaboration and emphasized that the implementation of this memorandum of understanding between the two parties will enable more efficient use of international Internet capabilities for Cuban users.

Meanwhile, Brett Perlmutter, head of Google in Cuba, told the media he was excited about the signing of this memorandum of understanding, which will bring "benefits to Internet users in Cuba," he emphasized.

Brett Perlmutter also explained that a task force will be created to "investigate" ways to implement direct interconnection in Cuba.

In this regard, Luis Adolfo Iglesias Reyes stated that the operation of the Internet traffic exchange service in Cuba is part of ETECSA's strategy for the development and computerization of the island.

This legal understanding agreement between the Cuban company and the internet giant was preceded by the signing and launch of the Google Global Cache service in Cuba. The agreement for this Global Cache service was signed in December 2016 and has been operational since April 2017, with satisfactory results to date.

Official statements from both parties at the press conference concluded: "The signing of the current memorandum of understanding demonstrates the continued interest of U.S. companies in developing business with the Cuban Telecommunications Company SA. Currently, more than a dozen U.S. companies have current agreements with Cuba, to the benefit of both parties involved."