Cuenca Internet, Television/Phone, and Utilities
Let's Clear Away the Confusion

Without communications back home, and lighting and the ability to cook, we wouldn't be here. So Cuenca internet, phone service and utilities are important to us. But they're not simple to access or pay for.

This article, and the pages it links to, will help clear away some of the confusion.

Internet

There are four home internet providers plus two cellular companies that also provide it.

The services available vary greatly, so you'll have to decide which is best for your circumstances.

These include whether you use MagicJack or Skype to talk to people back home, watch TV shows over the internet, or just use email and browse the web).

The services available to you are:

• ETAPAOnline, from ETAPA, Cuenca's utilities company
• TVCable
• Puntonet
• CentroNet, provided by CentroSur, the electric company

If you need portable internet access, you may want to try a cellular service:

• Claro
• Movistar
• There's also CNT for mobile internet.

As a last resort, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of internet cafes in Cuenca. The cost is one or two cents per minute.

If you're visiting, most of the hotels and hostals have free wireless internet, as do some of the bars and restaurants. And Milenium Plaza and Mall del Río also have free wireless.

Phone Service

Wired (landline) phone service is not nearly as common in Ecuador as it is in North America. The monthly charge is low, but you'll pay a small fee per local call. Long distance calls are fairly cheap too.

ETAPA phone service is the only landline service available here in Cuenca.

Just about everyone in Ecuador, it seems, has a cell phone. Cuenca is no exception. There are 3 cell service providers here:

• Claro, which is by far the biggest provider, with about 10 million phones in service (Ecuador's population is less than 15 million!). Note that Claro used to be Porta.
• Movistar, which is the second largest company.
• Alegro, now part of CNT, is a distant third.

Television

You have two options for television.

• TVCable is the cable provider here in Cuenca. By far, the majority of channels are in Spanish. There are a few US and other English-language channels (e.g., TNT, CNN, BBC) if you pay for the full package, plus several movie channels in English (the entire HBO series of channels is available for more money).
• DirecTV provides satellite service. You'll receive a lot more channels for about the same price, many in English. Perfect if you're in an area without cable wiring, as long as you have access to the western sky.

Utilities

Utilities here in Cuenca include the following:

• Electricity, which you receive from CentroSur.
• Water, which comes from ETAPA.
• Propane gas, which comes from one of many companies that will deliver it to you (if where you live doesn't have centralized gas).

Keeping Yourself Connected

Many of the pages about Cuenca internet, phone, television and utilities include such arcane information as how to pay your bills, and why you don't receive some bills.

Once you know who does what and who does what to you, you'll be better able to keep your sanity when dealing with all the various businesses and agencies that help keep you living a good life here in Cuenca.

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