Fire in Guanabo Disrupts Internet and Phone Services in Several Areas

A fire that damaged the telecommunications network in Guanabo has left residents in Boca Ciega, the center of Guanabo, Peñas Altas, and El Comino without landline phone service and mobile internet access. The state-owned company ETECSA announced the outage, assuring that their technicians are working diligently to restore services as quickly as possible. "We apologize for any inconvenience caused," the statement read.

This disruption impacts hundreds of citizens who rely on these services for communication, work, and accessing information. As of now, authorities have not detailed the extent of the damage or provided an estimated timeline for full service restoration.

The incident adds to a string of recurring failures in Cuba's telecommunications infrastructure, where complaints about internet outages, slow browsing speeds, and phone service failures are common. Just a few days ago, a major fire at the intersection of Rafael Ferro and Máximo Gómez streets in the municipality of Pinar del Río caused significant damage to the fixed telecommunications network.

This previous blaze led to partial interruptions in seven multi-pair copper cable shields and damaged a wooden pole, affecting users from several streets and the Hermanos Saiz University. At the end of February, Cuba's electrical crisis resulted in a telecommunications collapse, which ETECSA had to acknowledge due to a lack of energy backup in many of their radio stations.

The company advised the public to configure their devices to connect only to the 2G network to maintain basic communications and use the Transfermóvil payment platform. Additionally, in mid-January, numerous users across the island reported issues with mobile data services. ETECSA confirmed these disruptions were due to a technical failure that their team of specialists was evaluating and addressing.