Cuba to get Wi-Fi on Havana's Malecon seafront: What this means for the country
Cuba has had limited access to telecommunications since the 1960s - the country is severely short of telephone and Internet access. Shockingly they've gotten pretty comfortable with that lifestyle. So to hear that they added 65 hotspots last year, is quite impress. And it doesn't stop there.
According to In Cuba Today, the government is planning to add 80 more before 2016 is over. What has brought on this change, no one is fully sure. It's clear that Cuba wants to make sure that they are up on the times like others but they are still very limited.
The lack of urgency isn't too important to the Cuban government but they have announced that they'll be adding Wi-Fi hotspots to Havana's very popular Malecon, according to The Washington Post. So what does this mean for Cuba?
Well, since the travel ban has been lifted, there has been a non-stop wave of tourists taking educational visits to Cuba. But the fear of being in an unknown country without Wi-Fi has stopped many from traveling there.
Now that Cuba is adding more wifi hotspots to Havana's Malecon seafront, the number of visitors will surely grow. Especially past the three million people that visited in 2015, according to Travel + Leisure. But this expansion can either hinder Cuba or help them flourish a bit more.
Hinder, because with small changes also come big changes. The bump up in tourists can cause changes in Cuba's very untouched scenery. It's already been said that hotels and more tourism sites will be built in Cuba. These add-ins could surely affect the very sheltered country that is Cuba. Though the Cuban government has to give the go ahead on these said hotels, their will definitely be a power struggle.
There can also be some good to the Wi-Fi upgrade. Tourism is already bringing in a positive change in the growth of entrepreneurism and it's helping fund a lot of businesses around the island. Overrall the money coming in is having a great effect on Cuba.
So will the Wi-Fi hotspots in Havana's Malecon be a good or a bad thing? For the Cubans, it surely will be. But as Cuba expands even more, it may not only be the Cubans they'll be upping the ante for. Only time will tell.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!