Staying Connected with Loved Ones from Cuba: A Practical Guide to a (Very) Connected Country… in Its Own Way

Published on January 18, 2026 and written by Cyril Jarnias

Traveling to Cuba means accepting a change of pace, a different relationship with time… and with the digital world. The country remains one of the least connected in the world, with a slow, expensive, and tightly state-controlled infrastructure. However, it is entirely possible to stay in touch with family and friends, provided you prepare your trip well and understand how Cuba’s communications ecosystem works.

This article provides a concrete overview of solutions for staying reachable, sending updates, making calls, or doing video calls from Cuba, based on the most recent data available.

Understanding the Reality of Internet and Phones in Cuba

Before discussing SIM cards and applications, it’s important to set the scene. Telecommunications in Cuba are a state monopoly: the company ETECSA (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A.), through its mobile brand Cubacel and its NAUTA Internet service, manages the entire network.

The result, for a visitor accustomed to unlimited 4G/5G in Europe or North America, can be disorienting. The connection exists, but it is slower, less reliable, more expensive, and sometimes inaccessible for several hours across the entire country. Outages affecting the whole network are not uncommon.

The official average speeds are unmistakable: barely a few megabits per second on fixed connections, and average mobile speeds around 25 Mb/s in major cities, with peaks in Varadero and weaker performance in Santiago de Cuba. Nothing insurmountable for messaging or a short video call, but the idea of telecommuting with HD video streaming is out of the question.

Indicator (end of 2025)	Approximate Value
Population	~10.9 to 11.2 million
Active mobile connections	8.14 million (74.5% of the population)
Internet users	7.79 million (71.3% of the population)
Social media users (identities)	6.56 million (60.1% of the population)
Median fixed Internet speed	~3.5 Mb/s
Share of offline population	~28.7%
Share of Internet traffic via mobile	~75%

Another key element: censorship and surveillance. Cuba is ranked among the least free countries in the world in terms of online freedom. Access to certain sites (media, financial services, American platforms) is blocked or filtered. The infrastructure allows for extensive surveillance of communications, whether it’s browsing, calls, or messaging.

Traveling as a tourist does not mean living under constant surveillance, but it is reasonable to assume that true confidentiality does not exist. However, it is still possible to use tools like VPNs to limit risks and bypass certain blocks, provided you do it correctly.

The Main Options for Staying Connected from Cuba

Staying in touch with loved ones from Cuba often means combining several solutions rather than relying on just one. The choice depends on your budget, the length of your stay, your level of dependence on the Internet, and your technical comfort level.

Overview of Main Solutions

The options can be grouped into five main categories, each with its strengths and weaknesses.

Main Option	Major Advantages	Disadvantages / Limitations
Cubacel Tur Tourist SIM Card (physical)	Cuban number, data + minutes + SMS, local rates	Formalities, configuration, limited validity, sometimes unstable network
International eSIM (data only)	Activation before departure, no physical SIM to manage	No Cuban number, data sometimes expensive, compatibility to be checked
Wi-Fi (hotels, casas, public NAUTA hotspots)	Reasonable hourly cost, no complex configuration	Low speeds, cards to purchase, possible lines
Roaming with your home carrier	Maximum simplicity, nothing to configure	Exorbitant prices, risk of bill shock
Offline tools (maps, translation, guides)	Work without a network, essential in case of outage	Do not allow real-time communication

In practice, for a traveler wanting to stay reachable without blowing their budget, the most effective combination looks like this:

The Cubacel Tur Tourist SIM Card: The Best Compromise for Most Travelers

To communicate well from Cuba, having a local number and a reasonable amount of data is a major advantage. This is precisely what the Cubacel Tur offer provides, designed specifically for foreign visitors.

General Operation of Cubacel Tur

Cubacel Tur is a prepaid, temporary mobile line, associated with a physical SIM card provided by ETECSA. It is reserved for people over 18 with a foreign passport.

A few key points:

– The line is temporary: it has a base validity period (7 or 30 days depending on the plan),

– The assigned Cuban number is fixed and cannot be changed,

– The line cannot be transferred to someone else,

– A user cannot have more than three active Cubacel Tur lines at the same time,

– The offer is now permanent in ETECSA’s catalog, it is no longer just a seasonal promotion.

The main interest for a tourist is threefold: to have data on the Cuban mobile network, to have local minutes to call hotels, taxis, or agencies, and to be easily reachable from abroad on a Cuban number.

Cubacel Tur Plans in Practice

Two main plans are highlighted: the “Básico” version for short stays, and the “Plus” version for a month on-site or intensive use.

Cubacel Tur Plan	Indicative Price (USD)	Included Data	Local Minutes	Local SMS	Initial Validity	Particularities
Cubacel Tur Básico	~13.99	4 GB	20	20	7 days	For short stays and light usage
Cubacel Tur Plus	~34.99	10 GB	100	100	30 days	Unlimited access to WhatsApp and Facebook
Example intermediate plan	~25	2.5–6 GB	20–100	20–100	30 days	Variable depending on the reseller

In practice, the Plus plan is often the most relevant for a two- or three-week trip, as the 10 GB of data covers most needs (messaging, browsing, a few video calls) without constant worry.

Where and How to Buy Your Cubacel Tur SIM

Unlike a classic prepaid card, Cubacel Tur must be ordered online before or during your stay. You cannot “discover” it spontaneously upon arrival at an ETECSA counter.

The steps are as follows:

The most convenient pickup points are the stands present in the main airports, often open 24/7:

– Havana (José Martí, terminals 2 and 3),

– Varadero (Juan Gualberto Gómez),

– Holguín (Frank País),

– Camagüey (Ignacio Agramonte),

– Santiago de Cuba (Antonio Maceo),

– Cayo Coco, Santa Clara (Abel Santamaría), etc.

If you miss the airport stand or arrive very late, you can also pick up the card at an ETECSA oficina comercial or a centro multiservicios in the city. ETECSA has several dozen across the country, notably in Pinar del Río, Vedado, La Habana Vieja, Varadero, Trinidad, Camagüey, Holguín, Bayamo, Santiago, Guantánamo…

Configuration and Activation: What to Do on Your Phone

For the card to work, three technical conditions must be met:

– Your phone must be unlocked (not locked to a carrier),

– It must accept a physical SIM card,

– It must support the frequency bands used by Cuba: 3G on 900 or 2100 MHz (Band 8 / Band 1) and 4G on 1800 MHz (Band 3).

Upon receiving the card, ETECSA staff can insert it for you. Activation generally happens automatically upon first use. The validity period (7 or 30 days) starts as soon as the line is activated.

For data, you need to manually set the APN (access point):

– APN name: