Internet in Cuba

Doug MadoryNexus 2015New York CityApril 30, 2015

@DynResearch

Discovery of ALBA-1 Activation

• Prior to ALBA-1, Cuba entirely reliant on satellite Internet

• September 2007 – Venezuela and Cuba state telecoms announce plans to construct a submarine cable

• Originally planned to be completed in 2009, but delayed

• February 2011 – submarine cable construction is complete

• No noticeable change in Internet service in Cuba

• No mention of cable from Cuban government

@DynResearch

Discovery of ALBA-1 Activation

• 14 January 2013: ALBA-1 began carrying Internet traffic

@Name

Current State of Internet in Cuba

@DynResearch

Current Internet Layout in Cuba (258k IP addresses)

• ETECSA is single point-of-failure for Cuban Internet

• Haiti has 1/8th the GDP as Cuba, but is served by

• Natcom (Viettel, Vietnam)

• Digicel (Jamaica)

• Access Haiti

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

Everything goes through ETECSA

Via ALBA-1

Via satellite

@DynResearch

Performance to Cuba

@DynResearch

Performance to Cuba

T W Th F S S M T W Th F

• Continuous measurements into Cuba reveal diurnal patterns of latency spikes

• Consistent with congested links – Internet gets slower when more people are online

• However, latency spikes occur only during weekdays

• Cuba is mostly online during work days, little home Internet access

@Name

THANK YOU!

Doug Madory

dmadory@dyn.com

@dynresearch