Cuba's Internet: One Cable, One Company, Zero Redundancy
Cuba has one submarine cable. One. For an island of 11 million people, all international internet traffic flows through a single fiber connection — the ALBA-1 cable linking Havana to Venezuela. Our traceroute from Georgia to Cuba reveals not just this extraordinary vulnerability, but something unexpected: the traffic reaches Cuba via São Paulo, Brazil.
| Hop | Location | Network | RTT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–6 | Tbilisi, GE | JSC Global Erty (AS34666) | 26ms |
| 7 | Sofia, BG | Level 3 (AS3356) | 25ms |
| 8 | São Paulo, BR | Level 3 (AS3549) | 236ms |
| 9 | São Paulo, BR | Level 3 (AS3356) | 261ms |
| 10 | Brasília, BR | BR.Digital Telecom (AS61889) | 275ms |
The packet from Tbilisi reaches São Paulo in 236ms — crossing the Atlantic to Brazil rather than the Caribbean. From São Paulo, it passes through Brasília before finally reaching Cuba. Why Brazil?
ALBA-1: Cuba's Only Lifeline
The ALBA-1 cable (Alternativa Bolivariana para las Américas) is a 1,630km submarine cable connecting Santiago de Cuba to La Guaira, Venezuela. It entered service in 2013, ending Cuba's complete dependence on satellite internet — but replacing it with dependence on a single cable.
Before ALBA-1, Cuba connected to the internet entirely via satellite, with latency of 600ms or more and extremely limited bandwidth. Today, ALBA-1 provides Cuba's primary international internet connection — but the cable lands in Venezuela, not in the US or Europe where most international traffic originates.
Why the Traffic Goes Through Brazil
The path Tbilisi → Sofia → São Paulo → Cuba seems geographic nonsense — Brazil is south of Cuba, not between Georgia and the Caribbean. The explanation lies in how ALBA-1 connects to the global internet.
ALBA-1 lands in Venezuela. Venezuela connects to the global internet primarily through South American carriers and the SAC (South American Crossing) and Americas-II cable systems, which link the continent to the US via the Caribbean. Brazilian carriers like Level 3's South American subsidiary provide transit for Venezuelan traffic — making São Paulo a waypoint for traffic entering and leaving Cuba via Venezuela.
It is the same Miami bottleneck we see elsewhere in Latin America, but routed via South America's own infrastructure.
Cuba's Internet: A State Monopoly
ETECSA (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba) holds a complete monopoly on telecommunications in Cuba. Every internet connection on the island — residential, business, government — flows through ETECSA's infrastructure and through ALBA-1.
This creates a unique vulnerability: a single cable cut, a single equipment failure, or a single political decision can disconnect 11 million people from the global internet. No redundancy, no alternative routing.
The situation improved slightly when NAUTILUS-1, a planned cable connecting Cuba to the US, was proposed — but as of 2026 it remains unbuilt due to US sanctions and political complications.
Internet Access in Cuba: The Numbers
Cuba has among the lowest internet penetration rates in the Western Hemisphere — roughly 70% of the population has some form of access, but quality is extremely limited:
- Average connection speeds among the lowest in Latin America
- Mobile data is expensive relative to average wages
- Social media and many foreign websites are accessible, but speeds make video streaming difficult
- VPN usage is widespread to bypass content restrictions
All of this flows through one cable, landing in one country, controlled by one company.
Monitoring Status
- Current RTT: 277ms | Path: Tbilisi → Sofia → São Paulo → Brasília → Cuba
- Carrier: Level 3 → BR.Digital Telecom
- Key vulnerability: Cuba's entire international internet depends on ALBA-1 landing in Venezuela