Political situation in Cuba

State raises surfing prices – anger among young Cubans

Student unions in Cuba are calling for a strike after the state-owned telecommunications company Etecsa raised the price of surfing on mobile phones, reports The Guardian.

– This is historic. We have gained self-confidence and an organization that can be useful for everything we encounter in the future, an anonymous student tells the newspaper.

Currently, the first six gigabytes cost 360 pesos, equivalent to 142 kronor. If you want to buy an additional 3 gigabytes, it now costs 3360 pesos, which is equivalent to over 1300 kronor.

Since the minimum wage in Cuba is 2100 pesos, and the average Cuban uses ten gigabytes each month, the price increase has led to great anger.

Government tries to meet students – dismissed

The Cuban government has made fruitless attempts to appease students who are protesting against the increase in the price of mobile surfing.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel blames the price hikes on the long-running US embargo. He has also offered subsidies on mobile data to students only. This has been dismissed by student organisations.

“It is just an attempt to silence the student protests,” said a statement from engineering students at Cujae University in Havana, according to The Guardian.