Cuba's Pending Tech Revolution

dcblogs writes The White House order last week lifting economic sanctions against Cuba specifically singles out technology, from telecommunication networks to consumer tech. There's much potential and many obstacles. Cuba has an educated population craving technology, but it has little income for new tech. The Cuban government wants to trade with the U.S., but is paranoid about the outside world and has limited Internet access to 5% to 10% of the population, at best. "The government has been very reluctant to have open Internet access," said Harley Shaiken, chairman of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. But "there is real hunger for technology," and with the easing of the embargo, the government "will be facing new pressures," he said. The country needs a complete technology upgrade, including to its electric grid, and the money to finance these improvements. "Markets like Cuba, which will require a wholesale construction of new infrastructure, don't come along often, if ever," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA, a tech industry trade group. "The flood of companies lining up to get in should be quite substantial," he said. Cuba has a population of about 11 million, about the same size as the Dominican Republic, which spends about $1 billion annually on technology and related services, according to IDC. But capital spending today on IT in Cuba may be no more than $200 million annually.

Comments

Re: Did Congress pass a law?

[Frosty Piss]

As we know, there is quite a bit that the President can do without congress. As well, with the lifting of restrictions that are within the President's power, a "critical mass" for full lifting will build. Don't fool yourself, it will - and should - happen.

Re:A great place to dump old hardware

[retroworks]

In fact this is exactly what should and does happen. All the phone switching gear upgraded in the USA in the 70s and 80s set up Latin America, and Africa used 90s cell phone towers (and used phones). According to Digitimes in 2006, most of the display devices sold worldwide (in units, not in dollars) were "remanufactured" CRTs purchased from EU, Japan and USA and rebuilt with analog-to-digital converter boards. And most American teenagers learn to drive in a used car. Three billion people earning $3,000 per year were the "rapidly emerging markets" of the past two decades, and they make the "secondary market" for used tech worth several billion dollars per year. What's the mystery?

Re:Toothpaste

[Espectr0]

Well, here in Venezuela we accept: USD, toothpaste, toilet paper, cooking oil, margarine/butter, diapers, coffee, sugar, flour, ketchup, shampoo, bath soap, detergent and quite a lot more, and that's with no embargo.