After the formal "thaw" in relations between the United States and Cuba, and the historic visit of President Barack Obama to the island, the first details about the arrival of several companies to that territory are beginning to emerge. One of them is Google, which according to President Obama himself will seek to expand broadband and WiFi access.
To find the last time a US president visited Cuba, we must go back to 1928, when Calvin Coolidge arrived on the battleship USS Texas. The relationship between the two countries was very different then, with multiple dark points stimulated by all parties involved, especially during the Batista regime. Everything changed with the Revolution of 1959, Batista's escape, Fidel Castro's rise to power, and the installation of the famous embargo ("blockade" for Cubans). The so-called "thaw" in relations began at the end of 2014, encouraged by the Vatican and the Canadian government. Since then, the United States and Cuba have been working to eliminate the sharpest edges, and although many critical points remain to be resolved, the interest of American companies in returning to the island can no longer be hidden in any way. According to President Barack Obama himself, one of these companies is Google.
Through an interview, President Obama anticipated that Google has an "agreement" to expand broadband access and install public WiFi nodes. As we have mentioned before, Cuba's infrastructure lag is considerable, and the cost of access in a cybercafé is well above what a Cuban can pay with an average salary. The arrival of Google in Cuba could notably accelerate the development of new facilities and services; however, there is a problem: The US president's words seem to have "inflated" the whole situation a bit.
The agreement in question connects Google with the Museo Orgánico de Romerillo in Havana, where several company products will be exhibited, including Chromebooks and headsets made under the Cardboard project. This agreement includes a connection with the local operator ETECSA, but Google insists that these are "first steps", so it is likely that the entire process will last years, assuming the next government does not reverse the relations.
