Cuba and Technology

Cuba’s Startup Paradox

Adam Popescu | October 6, 2015

You see them everywhere. Throngs of young and old, men and women, heads down on their smartphones, fingers rapid fire, mouths curling into smiles as they soak up the joy of an Internet connection.
Something strange is happening in these streets. With the parade of classic cars rolling past faded colonial structures and brutalist Soviet office blocks, and scores huddled on the pavement, hoping for a signal, it’s abundantly clear that we’re far from the United States.

Cuba shows interest in hydrogen vehicle technology. Source: http://autogreenmag.com/tag/radio/

Why are all these people clogging the sidewalks instead of logging in at home?
This is Cuba, and in Cuba, you can’t log in at home. You basically can’t log in at all.

<more at http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/06/cubas-startup-paradox/; related links: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/17/cuba-gets-access-to-us-telcos/ (Cuba's renewed US relations will bring internet upgrades. December 17, 2014) and http://www.technologyreview.com/news/542106/cuban-web-entrepreneur-endures-a-murky-status/ (Cuban Web Entrepreneur Endures a Murky Status. Clever business people like Hiram Centelles find ways to offer online services in Cuba despite tight restrictions. Will they flourish or be swamped by foreign competition when the communist island finally opens up? October 5, 2015)>