The Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) publicly defended the use of its foreign currency revenue from international top-ups, arguing that these resources are used to support strategic sectors in the country, such as public health, the hospital system, and the electricity system.
These statements were made in the SCHEDULE "We Make Cuba," hosted by Humberto López, with the participation of representatives from ETECSA, the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), and the Attorney General's Office.
During the broadcast, the fraud associated with international top-up services, operated by networks both inside and outside the country, was discussed in detail. It was stated that "these frauds pose a direct threat not only to its operations but also to the social sectors that benefit from its financial contributions."
Humberto López on Etecsa's dollar income
"I want to say something, and I want to say it very clearly in this program, something I think we need to fully understand: affecting ETECSA's income isn't affecting a company; affecting ETECSA is affecting the money, for example, that this company has been contributing for many years to purchase food, which is so scarce in this country," said López.
Along these lines, he also emphasized: “Affecting ETECSA's income means affecting the money that, when everything was at a standstill in this country, allowed for the manufacture of three vaccines and two vaccine candidates, and for the hospitals that saved all of us here today during COVID-19 to continue operating. Affecting ETECSA's income means affecting the money it can contribute to continue investing in an electrical system that is in crisis and that no one from beyond is going to come to solve,” added the man considered a spokesperson for the Cuban government.
However, these claims contrast with the Cuban reality, where serious structural flaws persist in these same sectors: shortages of medicines, deteriorating hospital facilities, and frequent power outages.
Etecsa's justification for funds criticized
The issue has fueled debate about the effectiveness of channeling ETECSA's funds toward these social sectors. The state-owned company acknowledges that it operates under limited infrastructure, raising questions about how it balances its technological sustainability with the transfer of revenue to other sectors.
When the island's only telecommunications company speaks of "international top-up hijacking" and reports fraud, many of its customers can't help but remember that the exchange rate applied by ETECSA in its promotions only benefits them. For example, a top-up of around $11 translates to just $250. CUP balance for the user, which implies an official rate of 1 USD = 25 CUP, well below the real value of the informal market, where the dollar far exceeds 370 CUP.
This difference fuels the perception that the company insists on boosting its economy and that of the country at the expense of Cuban emigrants' money, as evidenced by the numerous calls for Cubans abroad to use only official ETECSA channels to recharge their credit cards. It also contradicts Humberto López's assertion that "no one from beyond the grave is going to come and solve it," when that is exactly what is being done in Cuba: dollarizing key sectors based on Cubans who have left.
Sanctions threatened for "sabotage" due to fraud in international top-up payments to Cuba
However, ETECSA continues to report that parallel structures have "hijacked" their international top-ups: "What the national subscriber saw was 'I already have the resource, I've already been recharged,' and they told the relative, 'Hey, I've already been recharged,' but it wasn't the payment for the package the relative paid for abroad."
In this regard, authorities indicated that these frauds could constitute sabotage. Prosecutor José Luis Reyes Blanco confirmed this: "When a group of people collect money intended to promote the development of that entity... it is affecting the service," adding that "sabotage carries high penalties... due to the harmful nature of these acts."
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13 comments
The people feel completely distrusted because the country's leadership woefully lacks transparency in the processes surrounding the national economy. The people don't know what is done with the dollars obtained from abroad. There is no source or platform that makes this information available to the people.
Seriously? Well, it's not noticeable at all, just as the promised improvement was not noticeable to the rest of the population when the MLC, and I have a feeling it will be the same with the Classic
How can you guarantee other sectors that are optional, and not yours, which has a deficit? How can you purchase the necessary materials to improve the telecommunications system in Cuba? Remember that our Commander in Chief eradicated illiteracy in Cuba. Please offer another response to the people, who deserve it. Thank you.
To other Chinese with those ETECSA stories he explains so many lies. That's to those who don't know them. Shamelessly, those who only want to deceive the civilian population of Cuba and other countries in the region.
The Cuban civilian population is fed up with so many lies.
ETECSA says that part of the income is used for food, medicine and the electrical system, which of the three is the worst?
I do not understand nor will I understand how they expect to express the deficiencies and problems of the ETECSA monopoly now that the rates have gone up and people do not understand nor will they understand. If the measure was dictated and there was no controversy, they would not have said anything, which suggests that all those justifications they want to communicate now are beyond belief. This is similar to the interrogation of credible fear, but even with all that argument said by ETECSA plus the 40 million pesos, it still does not add up. This story, for me, is not well told, taking into account that none of the services provided were for the value that ETECSA gave, that is to say, nothing was subsidized. I do not accept that they tell me that this income disappeared because of the grocer's account. It does not add up.
Also, when you have a business, you don't let it get out of hand. I don't understand that.
and enough of looking for someone to blame if the blockade
There's none of that, no health worth having, no food, and then since there's no room for communication, is that why it's bad? What a lie, please.
There's none of that, no health care, no electric power system, so who's wasting their money? This is a hot potato.
BT tells me that the currency collected by ETECSA is used for health, food, and electricity.
The health department asked me if there is no medicine anywhere in the state.
Food, I don't know why I see my supply card and it's almost blank.
And don't make me laugh about electricity.
Tell that story to someone else
Well, very little is contributed because these sectors that are mentioned could not be worse, and not the high standard of the cars that ETECSA executives drive and the high salaries they receive, which are among the highest paid in the business system in Cuba.
BD the information from ETECSA is very nice about the explanation of where the income goes apparently it is not true about health the world is ending if it falls in a hospital it costs you a laugh and you have to buy everything from a scalpel to an antibiotic tablet or ampoule who is going to believe that when health and hospitals in Villa Clara are shameful if you go to operate on another issue that must be analyzed there are not even conditions for that and it costs you an arm and a leg and something more for the non-reactive analysis laboratory of the stomatology consultations not to mention even the swabs you have to bring and water because there is nowhere we will end up let's not blame the blockade the situation must be analyzed from within and what is really happening when the salaries in ETECSA are through the roof while a simple guard who takes care of an objective earns 2600 even when we are a Fidelista town and with a cultural level there is no one stupid
Yeah???… don't tell me???!!! And the more than 40 million in embezzlement they found in the house of someone from ETECSA???… where did it come from???
Because they themselves defrauded their company, or rather, using their influence, they set themselves up as charging companies, authorized by ETECSA itself, because here no one can charge more than twice a day. So please, look further and you'll see that some big fish are getting caught. Corruption is at a high level here.
It's sad to read this kind of excuses.