According to a report by Network World, Google servers are now live in Cuba. It is expected that the country’s Internet speed will increase at least for users of Google’s services in the island nation. The servers are part of Google’s global network of caching servers, which store data locally. Last year, Google and Cuba … Read more
What could be better than a new and simple way to buy and sell items locally in Cuba using only mobile devices? With Cuba’s economy still heavily dependent on the central government for supplies and distribution networks, finding products and services can be difficult especially when inventories are inconsistent and fragmented. Merkat is an app … Read more
Amid the hand wringing over exactly how Cuba and the U.S. can annul a 56-year-old divorce, some magic has been happening between an island nation that punches above its weight in many arenas and a U.S.-based room rental platform with some high concept ideas about how to improve humanity. A closer look at Airbnb’s success … Read more
by Simons Chase For a brief moment last week, entering the towering nave of the Basilica San Francisco de Asis, a 16th century baroque chapel in Havana, led not to a pious religious ceremony but to a gathering around the high altar of “diplomacy through technology” that has been woven into the fabric of U.S.-Cuba … Read more
At the moment, there are 189 public WIFI locations in Cuba. The official rate is $2 per hour for access at a public WIFI location. Hotels often sell Internet access cards at a premium, usually $5 per hour for access within their facility. Network congestion and slow speeds characterize Internet use in Cuba. Generally, you … Read more
On a recent trip to Cuba, your editors at the Cuba Journal witnessed first-hand what limitations exist when connecting to the Internet from Cuba. Our hotel’s wifi internet access performed adequately, but the problems we encountered attempting to connect to many US-based websites appeared to stem from blockages not from the Cuban side but from … Read more
The second Startup Weekend Havana, taking place in Havana Aug 5-7, has secured more sponsors. The current sponsors are: .CO @dotCO Dell @dell EngageCuba @Engage_Cuba HealthX Ventures @HealthXVentures Gener8tor @gener8tor CubaOutsource @CubaOutsource Merchise Startup Circle, the Havana-based group organizing the event, has secured a prime venue at the recently-re-branded Sheraton 5th Ave. The Sheraton announced … Read more
By Wes Wagner At first, the sunlit logo of a thriving private business seemed ironic beside the shadowed poster of the communist president, Raul Castro. Upon closer inspection, the juxtaposition made sense–the poster of Raul actually contained an endorsement of private business. In English, it read: “Cuba counts on cuentapropistas as the engine of future … Read more
The second Startup Weekend Havana is planned for August 5-7 in Havana. Startup Weekend organizes high-impact, experiential events that foster entrepreneurship and community building in every corner of the world. As of last year, the organization hosted 200,00 budding entrepreneurs at 2,900 Startup Weekend events, in 501 cities, and in 150 countries. The organization’s 54-hour … Read more
Above: A female tourist is video conferencing on a tablet computer while seated in a small Internet lounge at the Hotel Palco in Havana on May 2, 2016. PHOTO: GERARD BEST By Gerard Best From May 2 to 6, some 700 technology experts and professionals from across the region gather in western Havana for the annual meeting of the Internet … Read more
