Linksys negotiates the sale of wireless routers in Cuba

Havana/Linksys, the American company that makes routers for home networks and small businesses, announced on Thursday that it is negotiating with the United States Department of State and other authorities to receive the necessary directions that would allow it to distribute wireless routers in Cuba. Its intention, as affirmed by the company through its vice president of product management, Mike Chen, is to help overcome financial and technological obstacles that currently prevent expanding Internet access in the country.

“Now that we are celebrating this milestone, we must also remember that our work is not finished. Along with the launch of the #LinkYourWorld company, we have set out the objective, together with our business partners, to better connect the Cuban people to one another and with the rest of the world,” said Chet Pipkin, the CEO of the company. “This is our opportunity to promote the development and growth of Cuba. We believe that recent political changes make this effort more viable, and we look forward to working with our partners in the industry and with government officials to achieve this important goal.”

The company plans to take the lead in connecting Cuba, taking the LinkYourWorld campaign worldwide. The worldwide promotion will contribute to educating people about the value and significance of internet access in daily life at home, at work or on the go. Linksys plans to introduce programs and interactive content on its website and its pages on social networks, as well as in stores and value added resellers.

The announcement was made in a press conference celebrating the hundreds of millions of routers sold around the world, a milestone achieved by the California Company that took its first steps in 1999.

In Cuba the only way to get a wireless router is in the black market. The price is around 100 CUC (convertible pesos, roughly US$110).