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May
14
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By Michael Voss
BBC News, Havana
The first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but the ban on home internet access remains.
This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks.
Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look.
The desktop computers cost almost $800 ($400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 a month.
But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad.
Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods.
In recent weeks,thousands of Cubans have snapped up mobile phones andDVD players.
But only now have the first computer stocks arrived.
Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on this communist island.
The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo.All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use.
Cuba’s anti-American ally, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, is laying a new cable under the Caribbean.
It remains unclear whether, once the connectionis completed, the authorities will then allow unrestricted access to the world wide web
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation
[...] Lorenzo placed an observative post today on Cuba lifts ban on home computersHere’s a quick excerptCrowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look. The desktop computers cost almost $800 ($400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 a month. But some Cubans do have access to … [...]
[...] Cuba lifts ban on home computersThe first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but the ban on home internet access remains. This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks. … [...]
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