Cuba Gets New Art Installation: WiFi

Cuba has really poor internet connectivity and it costs a lot of money to connect to the web. The thawing relationship between the USA and Cuba is bound to make it easier to develop the country’s telecommunications infrastructure (cheaper to run a cable from Florida than elsewhere). This is one of many benefits from the beginning of the end of the bizarre American embargo of the island nation.

For now, the artist Kcho is launching an art installation to prepare people for the coming rise of the internet in Cuba.

Cuba’s state telecom agency Etecsa has granted approval to the artist Kcho to open the country’s first public wireless hub at his cultural centre.

Kcho, who has close ties to the Cuban government, is operating the hub using his own, government-approved internet connection, and paying approximately $900 (£600) per month to run it.

Kcho told the Associated Press he decided to offer free internet at the centre, which opened in western Havana in January, in order to encourage Cubans to familiarise themselves with the internet.

Read more.

Calendar for Green WiFi

Eric Daams wrote in with this nugget of good information:

“The 2007 Travellerspoint Calendar is supporting the work of Green WiFi. All profits from sales will be donated to a Green WiFi project in a remote rurual community.”

You may remember Green WiFi from this ThingsAreGood post about them. So go on and get yourself a calendar.

Green Wifi

green wifi logoGreen Wifi is a non-profit organization that wants to bring free wifi access to the internet using solar power. They are using off the shelf products installed with linux to keep costs as low as possible. The reasoning behind providing internet access is that development require easy access to information, and what better way to disseminate mass amounts of information than the internet?

This is the essential question though:
Why Green WiFi? A number of non profit entities focus on addressing the digital divide by providing internet access to developing areas. Green WiFi addresses one of the biggest barriers to success: the lack of reliable electricity in developing areas required to power the network.”

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