Alphabet signs pact with Cuban telecom firm to improve access to Google properties

By Mark Coppock December 12, 2016

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Cuba’s internet infrastructure has long lagged behind the developed world, something that President Obama made a central part of his effort to improve ties between the United States and that island nation. Historically, Cuban citizens have suffered from tight governmental controls that limit their access to a variety of internet services.

In March 2016, Google announced that it would be working to set up improved Wi-Fi and broadband internet access in Cuba. Today, Google’s parent company Alphabet announced that it’s doing just that, by entering into an agreement with Cuba’s state telecommunications monopoly, ETECSA, that will make it easier for Cuban citizens to access Google properties, as Fortune reports.

Basically, Google is improving access to services like Gmail and YouTube by providing access to Google’s Global Cache network, which stores content on servers that are closer to those who need access. In a statement, Google said, “This deal allows ETECSA to use our technology to reduce latency by caching some of our most popular high-bandwidth content like YouTube videos at a local level.”

This should theoretically reduce reliance on local internet access, which remains poor. This in itself might not be a panacea, though. As one anonymous technician said, “This may improve reception of cached materials, but not for example email which depends on local bandwidth.” In other words, Cuba’s poor-performing networks won’t benefit much from caching for dynamic content.

Ultimately, Cuban citizens will benefit most from more basic improvements in network infrastructure and more robust and affordable Wi-Fi hot spots. In the meantime, however, Google’s efforts should at least help Cuban citizens access YouTube cat videos with slightly better performance.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Writer

Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…

Computing

Scores of people are downgrading back to Windows 10

The screen of the Galaxy Book4 Ultra.

Microsoft continues to struggle with the adoption of Windows 11 among its users. Recent data from Statcounter reveals a notable decline in the operating system’s market share, specifically compared with Windows 10.

After reaching an all-time high of 28.16% in February 2024, Windows 11 has experienced a drop, falling below the 26% mark.

Computing

The ASUS ROG Ally handheld gaming PC has a nice discount today

Starfield running on the Asus ROG Ally.

If you love the power of gaming PCs and the portability of the Nintendo Switch, you should think about getting a handheld gaming PC like the Asus ROG Ally. If you're interested, it's currently on sale from Walmart with an $87 discount that pulls its price down to $400 from $487. It's a pretty popular device so we expect this offer to attract a lot of attention, which means it's probably not going to last long. If you want to get this handheld gaming PC for this cheap, you should proceed with the transaction immediately.

Why you should buy the Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC
It's the version of the Asus ROG Ally with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme that's listed in our roundup of the best handheld gaming PCs, but the Asus ROG Ally Z1 is still a worthwhile purchase because it gives you a gaming PC that you can bring with you wherever you go. Unlike a gaming laptop that's still pretty bulky with its large screen and keyboard, the Asus ROG Ally takes on the form of a portable gaming console like the Nintendo Switch, but with Windows 11 pre-installed as a familiar operating system to navigate and launch the best PC games.

Computing

The HP Victus gaming PC with RTX 3060 has a $550 discount

The HP Victus 15L gaming PC in white.

Gamers don't need to spend more than $1,000 if they want to buy a new gaming PC because there are affordable options like the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop. From its original price of $1,400, you can get it for just $850 as HP has applied a $550 discount on this machine. However, you shouldn't delay your purchase because there's no assurance that the gaming PC will still be 39% off tomorrow. If you want to make sure that you get it for less than $1,000, you're going to have to complete the transaction for it within the day.

Why you should buy the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop
You shouldn't expect the HP Victus 15L gaming desktop to match the performance of the top-of-the-line models of the best gaming PCs, but it's surprisingly powerful for its cost. Inside it are the 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, with 16GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the best place to start for gaming. It's enough to play today's best PC games without any issues, and it may even be capable of running the upcoming PC games of the next few years if you're willing to dial down the settings for the more demanding titles.