Cuba’s Mobile Connectivity in 2026

Cuba’s mobile landscape remains one of the most distinctive in the Western Hemisphere. The entire mobile sector revolves around a single state-owned operator, ETECSA, which provides virtually all mobile and internet services on the island through its Cubacel brand. With no competing mobile operators, ETECSA alone determines the pace of technological upgrades, the reach of mobile coverage, and the affordability of data for the Cuban public.

Despite the country’s economic challenges, mobile connectivity has grown steadily. Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 8.14 million cellular mobile connections in Cuba at the end of 2025. For perspective, many people make use of more than one mobile connection, so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.

For example, the same person might have one mobile connection for personal use, but also use a separate mobile connection for work activities. The rise of eSIMs has made this even easier over recent years.

However, this practice hasn’t yet pushed mobile connectivity rates in Cuba beyond 100 percent, and GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in Cuba were equivalent to 74.5 percent of the total population in October 2025.

Looking at trends over time, the number of mobile connections in Cuba increased by 280 thousand (+3.6 percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, GSMA Intelligence’s data suggests that 91.4 percent of mobile connections in Cuba can now be considered “broadband”, which means that they connect via 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile networks.

However, devices that connect to “broadband” mobile networks do not necessarily use cellular mobile data, for example, some subscription plans may only include access to voice and SMS services, so this broadband figure should not be considered a proxy for mobile internet use.

The most visible technological improvement in recent years has been the expansion of 4G. ETECSA devoted much of its investment to building out LTE coverage, especially in Havana and major tourism corridors. The company has stated that most active mobile devices are now capable of connecting to 4G networks. Nevertheless, everyday users continue to report congestion, fluctuating speeds, and occasional outages, often tied to power shortages or infrastructure problems. These conditions reflect the broader strain on the country’s electrical grid and telecommunications backbone.

When it comes to 5G, Cuba is not yet on the map for a nationwide commercial rollout. Despite advances elsewhere in Latin America, independent observers and telecom trackers show no evidence of large-scale 5G adoption in Cuba. The government and ETECSA appear focused on strengthening existing infrastructure rather than pushing aggressively toward 5G.

Several factors explain this cautious approach. ETECSA has publicly acknowledged the difficulty of securing the foreign currency required to purchase telecommunications equipment and maintain supplier relationships. This financial pressure slows network upgrades and forces the operator to prioritize repairs and essential improvements over large-scale transitions to new technology. Persistent power instability also affects the feasibility of deploying higher-capacity networks, as mobile towers and backbone links are only as reliable as the grid that supports them. Another constraint is affordability. With average wages low and data plans often benchmarked to hard currency, premium services like 5G would be inaccessible for much of the population under current conditions. Recent controversial changes to mobile data pricing have sparked public frustration as ETECSA seeks to balance affordability with the need to fund network operations.

Tourists visiting Cuba can access the mobile network through Cubacel tourist SIMs or international eSIM services, but all traffic still routes through ETECSA’s infrastructure. Coverage in Havana and major resort areas tends to be more stable than in rural provinces, yet overall performance varies depending on congestion, time of day, and local power conditions.

Looking ahead, the most useful indicators of change will come from official ETECSA communications, regulatory decisions about spectrum, and any announcements involving international equipment suppliers. Improvements in Cuba’s electrical grid and its international bandwidth would also play a major role in making a future 5G rollout economically and technically viable.

In short, Cuba enters 2026 with roughly eight million mobile lines, a steadily improving but still congested 4G network, and no commercial 5G service on the horizon. The country’s mobile future will depend on financial stability, infrastructure resilience, and the ability of its sole operator to navigate both domestic limitations and global technology trends. 

Cubans are starting to Embrace Mobile Internet

Cuba’s telecom sector is a unique one with state control having stymied rather than promoted the development of all sectors. The country has the lowest mobile phone and internet penetration rates in the region, while fixed-line teledensity is also very low. Fixed-line and mobile services remain a monopoly of the government-controlled Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETESCA Cubacel).

Although there are still state restrictions over the right to own and use certain communications services, a thawing of relations between the US and Cuba has encouraged the government to improve access to services. Since 2015 Wi-Fi hotspots have been put in a number of places and since 2019, Cuba's Ministry of Communications (Mincom) has allowed individuals to create small private not-for-profit Wi-Fi networks and to import equipment.

Access to sites is also tightly controlled and censored. A DSL service was launched in March 2017 in areas of Havana and has since been expanded though costs have been set too high for most Cubans able to access the service. However, in 2019 Google and ETECSA signed an agreement to improve access for Cuba’s internet users by setting up a cost-free and direct connection between their respective networks.

Similarly, LTE services have been launched, with over 473 LTE base stations having been built across the island by the end of 2019. The mobile user base has grown to over six million, 70% of which are smartphone users.

Many consider Cubacel the only mobile provider in Cuba as the other C-com stays invisible. Cubacel started with a TDMA-network on 800 MHz which was decommissioned in 2009.

It's GSM-based network on 900 MHz nationwide for 2G with additional spectrum on 850 MHz in La Habana (= Havana), Varadero, Ciego de Ávila, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and Holguín (at the airport and Guardalavaca).

In 2017 Cuba’s state-owned telecoms operator ETECSA has announced that its customers are from now on able to send text messages to any mobile phone in the US and anywhere else. The cost is CUC 0.60 (US$ 0.60), with ETECSA stating that the charge is "similar to other international destinations".

In 2018 about 789 3G stations on 900 and 2100 MHz covered about 68% of the population and in 2019 this has grown to 85% of the population. The company intends to continue focusing on capacity expansion with a view to reducing prices and adding more users, although accessing mobile devices is a problem due to the ongoing US embargo.

In 2018 ETECSA also started to deploy 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz (B3). The operator has begun trials of 4G technology in northern Havana and in tourist hubs like Varadero, Cardenas, Mariel and Bauta. This trial 4G service is currently only available to some roaming customers and selected high-usage customers who consume over 1.5 GB of data a month, have compatible handsets and spend ‘significant amounts of time’ in coverage areas. ETECSA is aiming to bring 4G mobile services to all of the country’s 15 provincial capitals by the end of 2019.

In 2019 ETECSA has also unveiled new 4G/LTE mobile packages for prepaid customers, at the same time revealing that 3 million of its wireless lines were accessing mobile data services, following the commercial launch of 3G in December last year. The operator’s LTE network, meanwhile, was activated in the first half of 2019, but was initially restricted to selected high-usage customers. This service was opened up to prepaid users in October in the provinces of Havana, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Holguin, Granma, Las Tunas, Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba. 

ETECSA has installed a total of 3,268 mobile base stations across the island, of which 1,357 are 2G, 1,438 3G and 473 are 4G base stations. The LTE total is expected to reach 500 by year-end, located in all provinces except Cienfuegos, which will be upgraded to enable 4G access next year.

Some 4.4 million Cubans used mobile internet services in 2020, while the number of cell phone users rose to 6.6 million, according to officials from the ETECSA.