Cuba loses phone, internet connections for about 90 minutes

• Cuba was left without telephone or internet connection for 90 minutes Friday in a nationwide failure.
• There was no general power outage, witnesses said.

Men wear face masks as they walk along a street in Havana, on February 12, 2021.

Yamil Lage | AFP | Getty Images

Cuba's telephone and internet connections were knocked out on Friday in a nationwide failure, though there was no general power outage, witnesses said.

All internet service and international communications crashed at around noon (1700 GMT), according to witnesses in Havana and three other provinces. International communications were restored after 90 minutes and the internet 10 minutes later.

ETECSA, the state telecommunications monopoly, in a statement said a "technical interruption" had effected all modes of internet access.

The Communist-run nation only began to connect the population and most businesses a few years ago when in 2018 it began service through smartphones.

The government reported 4.2. million of 11.2 million residents were on the internet through their mobiles and just 170,000 homes were connected.