Google signs a deal with Cuba to grant Cubans faster access to Google content

Cuba's state-run Etecsa telecoms company has signed a deal with Google. It means that Cuban citizens will be able to more quickly access content provided by the monopolistic internet company.

By providing Cuba with access to the Google Global Cache, content will be delivered to internet users via servers which are physically closer, helping to speed up things. The deal will do nothing to speed up general internet access, but it will ensure that Cubans have faster access to Google services such as YouTube.

In a statement Google said: "This deal allows ETECSA to use our technology to reduce latency by caching some of our most popular high bandwidth content like YouTube videos at a local level".

There have been recent attempts by Barack Obama to smooth the relationship between the US and Cuba. It's something that Donald Trump has expressed interest in continuing, but it is not yet clear what form this will take.

While the Google deal will be welcomed by some living on the Communist-run island, in reality it will affect relatively few people. Recent figures suggest that just 5.6 percent of the population currently has internet access.

Image credit: Sabino Parente / Shutterstock