EL PAQUETE SEMANAL

El Paquete Semanal or the ‘weekly package’ is a one terabyte hard drive data traveler of media, collected by a centralized underground venture and distributed all over Cuba. This package allows each and every Cuban citizen the access to information and technology in a country with an internet penetration of less than 5%.

The Fidel Castro regime permits only one source to distribute media to the people of Cuba i.e. the state, which in turn provides highly censored connections at speeds as low as 512 kbps requiring a person over 36 hours to download a single DVD quality movie. The underground market, using VPNs and other sources like make do satellites behind rooftop water towers and even members placed in the United states, have managed to break through the same barrier and download information from all over the internet making it available to the Cubans throughout the country with the help of an immense distribution network in HD and UHD quality.

Danny Paquete, a 26-year-old is the founder and controller of the entire network. The network, started off in Havana, has spread through the country. The founder recently started having his couriers take flights all over the country and is expanding his reach at a tremendous rate with an intention to deliver to every Cuban possible.

A person interested in copying data from the Paquete can do so for a price less than an American Dollar. They can also place requests for movies, games, applications etc. A survey conducted revealed that over 90% of Cubans take advantage of the distribution network. The distributors also revealed that there has been an increasing demand for American TV series like Suits and Game of Thrones.

Competition has developed in this market of distribution recently causing the current distributors to stay on their toes and not turn into a monopoly over the market, however, Paquete Semanal still remains dominant in the market. This venture tells us that, even in the Castro regime where information is blocked and communistic methods of trying to control the media are used, people still thrive and get access in this information age. The reach expands, enlightening people and giving information to people in even the most remote corners. Hence, making this network Cuba’s Netflix, Hulu and Spotify.

• Sarthak Pandya

Sources:
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paquete_Semanal
Dan Lewis ( Now I Know)
Vox — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTTno8D-b2E