Youths in Cuba build their own private network with 9000 PCs

ByEd Yourdon

Cuba has started negotiating normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States, but due to the economic blockade, the current shortage of supplies is continuing. Internet connection is no exception, only a handful that you can have internet line at home. The government provides paid internet at state-owned hotel and internet center, but the rate per hour is that it will cost a general Cuban wage salary one week. Young people living in Cuba who are obliged to do such off-line, using more than 9000 PCs, without the government's hands private network "SNetWe have built.

News from The Associated Press
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_SECRET_NETWORK


Rafael Antonio Brooche Moreno, 22-year-old Cuban engineer, brought the Internet environment to Havana, the capital of Cuba. They jointly invested funds, installed a commercial Wi - Fi antenna and Ethernet cable on the rooftop or road, and constructed a private network using more than 9000 PCs. Although it is blocked from the outside Internet, it is said that it is possible to chat and online games locally. This Internet is abbreviated "Streetnet" and is named "SNet".


Cuba has been one of the countries with the least developed world in the world because of the lack of equipment funds to build the Internet by the economic blockade of the United States. According to the government officials in Cuba, Obama administration wants to introduce the Internet to Cuba with the normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba, according to the government officials of Cuba, "It is expected that infrastructure facilities can be built even now normalized diplomatic relations There is not it. "

In Cuba, unauthorized use of Wi-Fi equipment is not allowed, so SNet is legally illegal. Mr. Moren who built the SNet said to the AP, "There is a really large amount of information on-line, we need the Internet," and we have a discretionary right to SNet in the private sector I hope to be given. Mr. Moren has already obtained "tacit consent" to the effect that "Do not disregard the operation of SNet as long as respecting Cuba's law" from the government side.

Contents of tacit understanding is that you do not perform "sharing pornography and violent content", "political discussion", "connecting to the external Internet" etc on SNet, and the administrator of the volunteer monitors the user I will. SNet is not anonymous because Cuba admits the existence of this kind of internet. It is possible to block users who break rules, but most users say they are cooperative to maintain the network. Mr. Moren said, "We do not interfere with anyone, we only want to play games and share healthy ideas."

ByGandia Game Jam

Currently, 2000 users are accessing SNet every day, and they are enjoying watching TV programs and movies. Although it is a limited Internet, in addition to storing copies of Wikipedia, there are SNSs that have Facebook-like functions. Since all of these data passes from PC to PC, it achieves a much faster communication speed than communication using an expensive government server. Although the Cuban government has not commented on SNet, the government is highly likely to recognize it because it can build a low-cost and high-speed Internet in the private sector.