Best mobile data packages, depending on the situation#
The options from ETECSA, Cuba’s only telecommunications company, are always tangled. It is usually hard to understand what each offer includes and which one is most effective. With data plans, the variations are so confusing that it is better to analyze them by situation.
What is the best data package?
The answer depends on each user’s needs and on the network they can access. Plans for 4G are more varied and cheaper than 3G plans. Even so, having internet on a mobile phone is still far too expensive in Cuba.
*Note: Data packages are bought by dialing 133# and following the on-screen menu. Except for the daily package, all are valid for 30 days and include a 300 MB bonus for browsing Cuban-domain websites, “.cu”.
With a recharge from abroad#
For 4G users: “2.5 GB for 200 CUP”#
If you use the 4G/LTE network, this package should always be first on the list because it has the best relationship between megabytes and price, and the cost is moderate.
It is ideal for people who receive recharges from abroad . With the 500 CUP main balance, they can buy up to 6 GB of mobile data: two 200 CUP packages plus one 100 CUP package.
For 3G users: “2.5 GB for 500 CUP”#
Here the huge difference between one network and the other is obvious. 3G users have to pay 300 CUP more to get the same amount of data.
When you receive a promotional recharge , the best option is to use the 500 CUP main balance to buy this package. Managed carefully, it can last a month for checking social media and news sites, plus watching the occasional short video in low quality. The bonus, also valid for 30 days, can be used for calls and SMS.
A study by Hootsuite and We Are Social found that average mobile data consumption in Latin America is 3.6 GB per month. People with 4G access in Cuba can get more than that with a recharge from abroad. Those using 3G are 1.1 GB below the regional average.
When you have little balance#
4G: “1 GB for 100 CUP”#
It loses quite a bit on the amount-price factor compared with the 8 CUC package. But it costs half as much, so it is ideal when you have little balance left. To make it last a full month, you should activate all data-saving options , because with LTE speed it disappears quickly.
3G: “400 MB for 125 CUP”#
Again, the difference is enormous. For one CUC more, users receive only 40% of what they get with LTE. But this is the cheapest plan for users of the forgotten 3G network.
For high usage and working from home#
4G: “14 GB for 1,125 CUP”#
With a 1,125 CUP recharge sent from Fonoma , a user in Cuba can buy the largest package: 14 GB, and also receive a double bonus when there is a promotion.
This amount is useful for people who work from home and need heavy information use. It has the second-best amount-price relationship, only narrowly behind the 200 CUP plan.
3G: “4 GB for 30 CUC”#
This is the last refuge for heavy users on this network. Each gigabyte costs 7.50 CUC, and even so it is the best amount-cost relationship among 3G offers.
This package includes a 5 GB bonus for use only on the LTE network.
In an emergency#
200 MB for 1 CUC (daily package / LTE only): Useful in an emergency, when you run out of data and have little balance, or when you prefer to wait for the next promotion to receive a recharge and buy a larger package. It can solve a specific problem because it costs little, but it lasts only 24 hours and is exclusive to users with 4G access.
Other data packages#
By the way, if you have 4G, the 5, 7, or 10 CUC packages are not worth buying unless you live in an area where this network has intermittent coverage, or you often move through zones where it does not exist. That way you have part of the package for each network.
- 50 MB for 1 CUC (email package): Used less and less. It only works for managing Nauta email and does not include internet access.
- 600 MB for 7 CUC on 3G / 1.4 GB with the LTE bonus: A mediocre option, neither as cheap as the 5 CUC plan nor as good as the 10 CUC one.
- 1 GB for 10 CUC on 3G / 2.5 GB with the LTE bonus: A good option for 3G users because it is the most balanced between price and use. A poor option for 4G users, who can buy the same amount for 2 CUC less.
Fonoma is a service for recharges to Cuba. Visit the website :
