Cuba's choice to produce low-cost "state"
smartphones , built by state-controlled companies, with a state operating
system and designed specifically for the inhabitants of the country, is causing
a lot of discussion . In this way we not only want to overcome the limits
imposed by foreign technologies, but also to create technological objects
within everyone's reach, especially citizens with low economic availability.
A solution that reopens the discussion on the issue of
access for the entire population to the internet and to objects that are now
fundamental for progress and everyday life. Is creating public solutions to
overcome the limits of the private sector the right solution to give everyone
the same possibilities?
The socialist smartphone
They called it a "socialist device", in honor of
that state machine that centers everything and condenses everything in Cuba,
which places the good of the community - and of the republic - ahead of that of
individuals. It stands no coincidence that more and more nations are trying to
produce the most important technological devices themselves. Technology and
access to it is increasingly important and turning it into a state affair could
lead to the victory of an unexpected game.
Hence the choice of Cuba to give the state- owned company
Gedeme the production of three new smartphones, all low cost, all with limited
technical features and with an operating system under development called
NovaDroidand that it will be produced in the country and designed specifically
for its inhabitants. The first 6000 units will be produced by the end of June ,
for now with Android 10, and will be sold through the stores of the state
telephone company, Etesca .
Power games
If the stated goal is to give everyone technological access,
the main one will be to show the world autonomy in the creation of high-tech
products, bypassing the limits imposed by foreign technologies and without
relying on large foreign companies in the sector. This is the second step in a
strategy that has started providing data connections throughout Havana since
2018 . However, Gedeme, the company that produces the devices, is not new in
the production of IT, electrical and electronic products, having worked for a
long time on specific tools for the telecommunications sector.
It is clear that for the internal components of the new
smartphones - processors, cards, lenses - it was necessary to rely on foreign
suppliers, but the long-term goal seems to be to produce everything directly
in-house, without limiting itself to just assembly or design. . Outrageous
ambitions, but the result of a very specific strategy that will certainly be
carried out with perseverance and determination.
The models
The models that will go into production will be three, all
of the medium-low range, with technology that is certainly not of a high level
but a price that, although not disclosed, should be really quite competitive,
designed precisely to guarantee access to those who usually cannot afford this
type of technologies. For now, the technical data sheets of only two devices
have been published: the first GDM MB10 , will have a 6-inch screen with HD
resolution, MediaTek P22 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage space
expandable with memory cards; the battery will be 3200 mAh, while the sensors
for the photos will be three, two on the back of 8 and 3 megapixels and one in
front, of 5; connectivity will be the basic one with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3.5
mm connector.
The second model will be called GDM P4R and will have
slightly better features: 6.22-inch HD + display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of
storage space ; the processor will be the same as the previous model, while the
battery will be slightly more performing, as well as the photographic sector,
with double rear sensor from 13 and 3 megapixels and front from 8 ; in this
model there will also be a sensor for fingerprints and facial recognition.
OS is everything
The Cuban company is however focusing a lot on the
implementation of its homemade operating system, the NovaDroid, developed from
the source code of the Google open source system. It will be a rather important
step, on which Gedeme and the state are focusing a lot, perhaps even more than
the production of the devices itself. NovaDroid , in fact, will be designed to
adapt to the needs and reality of Cuban society: it is a project already under
development and now integrated into the tablets produced by the same company.
The optimizations will be designed to offer citizens services that are finally
worthy of the name: to date, in fact, there are numerous limitations to which
many services that we have been using for years are subject.
On the Google Play StoreFor example, Cubans cannot download
and buy paid apps or use in app purchases. The new system will still offer
compatibility with over 1 million applications from the various Android app
stores and will have some free apps already pre-installed, some internationally
important, such as Firefox or Omninote , and others that will be developed
directly by Gedeme for his smartphones.
Tech for everyone
The Cuban one is an important move, with very specific
purposes, aimed at establishing a sort of technological hegemony of this very
important time, especially for a state that has always sought to overcome
foreign and private interference. Despite its apparently not noble aims, aimed
more at demonstrating power than helping, the production of these new
"state" smartphones undeniably rekindles the light on an important
and never too often debated issue: access to technologies .
The rather high costs of certain devices and the production
for years in the hands of a few, selected and very large companies, effectively
excludes many people from access not only to essential products for everyday
life, but also to communication tools by now. essential for any type of use.
Access for all to technology is an issue that every government should begin to
take more and more seriously into , in order to ensure equal rights and
freedom, as well as equal opportunities, for all.
So many problems
We have seen it during the last year, in full pandemic, with
the inequalities of treatment which some students have been forced to face:
with the obligation to follow the online lessons, all those children who came
from families who could not suffer severe discomfort. afford high-speed
connections or devices to be able to follow lessons remotely together with
other classmates. A state worthy of the name should not allow this, should not
allow such disparities between people, children or families; everyone should have
the same possibilities and the same means, even if with different financial
resources .
We should seriously start thinking about a basic
technological equipment that everyone should have access to by right: Cuba has
done so by producing low-cost products on its own that, hopefully, will give
everyone the opportunity to buy certain products, but any country should to
begin to prepare solutions to overcome a problem that in the long run could
become more and more serious, widening the disparities and tracing deep social
furrows not only between different states but also between citizens of the same
country.
Few solutions
Producing your own devices yourself is a difficult and
prohibitive undertaking, but decreasing the interference and economic
overwhelming power of the large companies in the sector would be essential to
restore a certain balance. The big manufacturers go on with their research and
studies, producing more and more advanced products but also more and more
expensive. What is the point of digitizing every aspect of our life if then
some citizens cannot even have access to the internet? A reflection that all
countries should make, because the technology and the devices related to it,
whether we want it or not, increasingly resemble basic necessities to which
everyone, without exception, should have equal right of access.
