Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, Jun 14th. - Consisting of companies specialized in different areas of technology, the Computer and Communications Business Group (GEIC), ranges from the development of telecommunications software and solutions, to computer security and the transmission of radio and television signals.
Managers of their companies explained this Friday, in work published on the Cubadebate website, the impact on their work of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba.
Its entities include leaders in the development of digital platforms; others specialized in applications aimed at the health sector, in cybersecurity; Radiocuba and Movitel, which are fundamental for national communications; and other integrative companies such as Cubatel S.A., Solintel S.A. and Sepcom. All aimed at promoting access to advanced technologies, with computer sovereignty in an increasingly interconnected world to consolidate Cuba's digital transformation. However, this work is limited by the blockade.
Juan Carlos González Pérez, commercial director of Radiocuba, told Cubadebate that a concrete impact of U.S. policy on his company was the sudden cancellation of its satellite service. A French company, domiciled in the United States, suddenly informed them two years ago that it had to cancel the contract because it had been bought 100% by a U.S. company and was not authorized to continue operating with Cuba.
For her part, Hyancith C. Aballí Oña, head of the Cubatel Development Group, a company that has been building technological infrastructure for 29 years, explained that financing is a fundamental barrier: We cannot cover investments or build infrastructure due to lack of resources. She noted that many suppliers refuse to work with Cuba, making it difficult to access essential equipment manufactured abroad. Maintenance is also compromised because international partners feel threatened by sanctions against Cuba.
Juan Miguel Alonso Torres, director of technological development of Segurmática, coincided with the problems described and indicated that essential tools for his company such as VirusTotal (for antivirus analysis) are blocked for Cuba.
Regarding payments to suppliers, he said that transferring money from Cuban banks is extremely difficult because of financial restrictions and Cuba's unfair designation on the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism.
Robelis Lambert Matos, director of Business at GEIC, emphasized that everything - infrastructure, software development and equipment marketing - is affected by the economic embargo on Cuba. It limits access to specialized literature, advanced security technologies and terminal providers. Movitel also has had updated devices for some time.
This reality, Lambert Matos told Cubadebate, slows down our software development, national antivirus and technological autonomy (Text and photo: Granma Digital)
