Dive Brief:
- Google is reportedly working with Cuba to expand Internet services throughout the country.
- Currently, only 5% of Cuban citizens have access to the Internet.
- The news came during President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba, which marks the first times a U.S. president has visited the country in nearly 90 years.
Dive Insight:
Rumors of Google’s interest in Cuba have been circulating since last summer, but Obama confirmed them on Sunday during an interview with ABC News.
"One of the things that we’ll be announcing here is that Google has a deal to start setting up more Wi-Fi access and broadband access on the island," Obama said in an interview with ABC News.
Internet access is increasingly viewed as vital to enabling countries to compete in the 21st century.
Facebook has worked to expand Internet connectivity to the roughly 10% of the world's population that does not currently have it. Facebook’s Connectivity Lab is using AI to create maps of where people live and how their location affects their ability to connect to the Internet. Facebook said the maps should help it determine which types of connectivity solutions work best for areas of the world currently without Internet access.
