ETECSA Cuts the 113: The Digital Divide That Leaves Out Those Without Internet

There is discontent among the population regarding the insufficient service of 113 (information to the public), provided by ETECSA to telephone customers. Affected users argue that this service is not enabled.

Many use, as an alternative, the 118. Recently, they began telling callers that through that number they could not obtain information and refer them to the Yellow Pages of the organization’s paper directory (which haven’t been distributed for some time) or to its website.

I investigated to find out the cause and received the following response: The 113 service (fixed telephone subscriber information) has not been completely withdrawn, but its operation has been severely affected.

The main reason argued by the Company is the energy situation, which forces staff and schedule reductions. For this reason, they recommend using the website, that is, the online Yellow Pages.

But apparently it is not taken into account that the Cuban situation is different. Not everyone has access to a cell phone with data or a stable connection. The digital divide is a barrier that the Telecommunications Company must consider.

This is a clear case where resource optimization clashes with the need for inclusion of the population that still depends on these traditional channels.

In my opinion, we cannot think of total modernity with resources from the past.