Cuba lifts restrictions on cellphone use

It's only just ended its ban on DVD player and computer sales, but Cuba's apparently not stopping it's technological catch-up there, with President Raul Castro now announcing that the country's also lifting its restrictions on cellphone use. As the AFP reports, there have of course been cellphones in the country for some time, but they have mainly been reserved for foreigners, government staff, or those who were able to obtain them through third parties. Under the new regulations, however, Cubans will be able to get cellphone service from state telecom ETECSA, but only in the form of prepaid contracts that must be paid for in foreign currency. Reuters also adds that Cubans will be able to both make and receive international calls under the new service. Any other details are apparently pretty light at the moment, but ETECSA says it'll be providing information on how Cubans can switch over their existing service or sign up for a new contract in the next few days.

[Via Yahoo/AFP]

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 28th 2008 1:11PM]

Welcome back to 1995 to our fellow Cubans!

[Chuckles McGee @ Mar 28th 2008 3:45PM]

In Communist Cuba, phone call you!

[Nathan @ Mar 28th 2008 5:23PM]

I think Cuba is just wising up to what really keeps people from a revolution; commercialism.

I recently asked my (admittedly trashy and ignorant) neighbor why he thinks America is the land of the free. His response was something, that to be quite honest, I am not clever enough to have thought up in a million years.

"America is free because here I can buy any truck I want, any TV I want or eat out whenever I feel like. I can take my family to amusement parks, or to the movies and no one tries to stop me! No one here is telling me how to live my life!"

Sounds like Cuba is taking a page out of America's play book.

[mark @ Mar 28th 2008 10:26PM]

What good is opening up these markets when the average wage is ~$10 a month and 93% of that goes to food?

(http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41452)

I don't care if their substandard housing is free; their medical is free (bring your own sheets though and look for your doctor driving cabs in the off hours); their education is free (all the way up to a PhD as long as you don't contradict the party doctrine)----these people are treading water!

IMHO the only positive to all this is that, hopefully, those in Florida will be able to somehow coordinate with refugees better and that perhaps we're seeing the dismantling of this tragically extreme socialist state.

[Zal @ Mar 28th 2008 1:17PM]

Motorola Star-Tacs FTW!

[happy_penguin @ Mar 28th 2008 10:25PM]

StarTac was the best cell phone I ever owned.

[Towncivilian @ Mar 28th 2008 1:19PM]

"through third parites"?

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 28th 2008 1:24PM]

Don was quick to fix that, lol.

[Dave @ Mar 29th 2008 1:28AM]

Can you hear me now?

[mcklein @ Mar 28th 2008 3:09PM]

Well Cubans priority is not cell phone is to eat, so dont expect them to run and get a cell phone when is still illegal for them to eat meat.

[shifuimam @ Mar 28th 2008 1:30PM]

"As the AFP reports, there has of course been cellphones"

Grammar, boys. That should be "have", not "has". "Cellphones" is plural...

[Michael Schmitt @ Mar 28th 2008 1:30PM]

This is great and all, but the average cuban only makes about US$20/month... who can really afford any of these items in Cuba?

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 28th 2008 1:37PM]

Thats why a cellphone would cost 0.05, you see its all relative my friend. You make $2000 a month and your phone costs you $50.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 28th 2008 1:38PM]

/s

[acidscan @ Mar 28th 2008 2:02PM]

@PhilX:

Cubans make $20 a month and the cell service cost $120 CUC (1 CUC = 1.20 USD) to activate and 45 cents/min RX AND TX. So sorry for exploding your bubble :)

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 28th 2008 2:33PM]

@acidscan

Notice the "/sarcasm" just above your post.

But thanks for the info, how much would 'housing' be? Geez..

[retro77 @ Mar 28th 2008 1:30PM]

Moto's ears just perked up.

[ozzzy @ Mar 28th 2008 1:34PM]

The real question is when are they getting the iPhone =)

[Boarderwoot @ Mar 28th 2008 3:43PM]

they're gettin them from the other "third party"...a man who recently purchased a large number of them from a duo in Salem NH, though unfortunately his supply is only limited to somewhere between 330 and 700 so there will definitely be a large number of Cubans who will continue to be depressed.

[For2itous @ Mar 28th 2008 1:35PM]

Veerazeeon le dice: "¿Puede me oyes?, ahora?™"

[Towncivilian @ Mar 28th 2008 1:39PM]

Can you hear me now? How about now? Now? Huh? Still no? Damn.

[phanbouy @ Mar 28th 2008 1:47PM]

in walks Dave Chappelle: "can you hear that, bitch?!"

[acidscan @ Mar 28th 2008 2:04PM]

@for2itus:

Your Spanish REALLY sucks :) (can you hear me know = ¿ me escuchas ahora ?)

[For2itous @ Mar 28th 2008 2:09PM]

Sorry 'bout that, acidscan--And to quote Miss South Carolina, I can barely manage 'U.S. American' let alone the nuances of Cuban dialect...

[Mark @ Mar 28th 2008 1:57PM]

welcome to 2008 cuba!

[James @ Mar 28th 2008 2:42PM]

More like 1998.

[Brent @ Mar 28th 2008 2:00PM]

Even state run agencies don't accept local currency? Telecom officials must also be planning the 90 mile rafting trip and hoping to have some good ol' greenbacks for when they make their landfall.

[Wisam @ Mar 28th 2008 2:05PM]

Alooo Cuba, This is Earth speaking. Can you hear us ?
Cuba ... Cuba ?

[Valgas @ Mar 28th 2008 2:13PM]

Just about the entire population of Miami all the way to Broward county will now be on their cellphones permanently instead of all the time 24/7. Ello? Honie I can't here you? Maria!!! Speak up!!! No comprehende, NO ME GUSTA!!! Puede usted ahora oírme?!!

[diabolo @ Mar 28th 2008 2:55PM]

Oye caballero! esto esta de pinga! mira que ahora con celular y to'y la jodienda!

where u at? = a'onde tas?

[jojo @ Mar 28th 2008 2:21PM]

If Cuba follows any of the other developing countries, soon they will have full 3.5G networks up and running throughout the whole country and the newest cell phones available whereas the US is still one of the furthest behind in both network and device technology. Note that this isn't a knock on the US, just that for a country the size of Cuba, it wouldn't take much to implement a nationwide 3G network like how most of the latin american countries have done in a short amount of time.

[Charles Hamilton @ Mar 28th 2008 5:48PM]

I knew someone was going to throw in an "America sux I hate it comment" When Cuba gets its 3.5 g network, you are free to go and use it.

[Steffen Jobbs @ Mar 28th 2008 2:29PM]

People were not allowed to use computers or play DVDs in Cuba? Wow! That's totally amazing. I'll bet Fidel Castro had all that stuff in his mansion. I guess there'll be a lot of people in Cuba hoping he doesn't live much longer.

I also suppose Apple won't bother to be rolling out any iPhones there for quite a while.

[Killer @ Mar 28th 2008 2:36PM]

The New Revolution...
Viva La Anytime Minutes!

[Mark @ Mar 28th 2008 2:38PM]

they're probably all rockin with our old huge nokia's from 6-7 years ago.

[Erick @ Mar 28th 2008 2:53PM]

Hottest selling item since the lifted ban

http://www.aaronkimbrough.com/images/bagphone.jpg

[paulinyork @ Mar 28th 2008 3:40PM]

Feel free to say anything you want, don't worry about The Party listening and pinpointing where you are either. We wouldn't do that.

[Boarderwoot @ Mar 28th 2008 3:46PM]

he'll be arriving shortly in cuba and instituing a trading system. One iPhone for 30 cigars.

[SurKaz @ Mar 28th 2008 3:51PM]

It's a good thing the President of Cuba (and other Govt officials) are introducing technology to their people. Faster/cheaper ways to get it. That's how to advance your nation.. but then there's the headaches that come with tech as well...Rules/regulations/blah blahs... but still.. It's still a good thing, right?..

[apeguero @ Mar 28th 2008 3:58PM]

And in comes Chavez with free Nokia 3210s for everyone there.

[Matt @ Mar 28th 2008 5:48PM]

I just tried to look at ETECSA website. It is not loading. After checking out at gsmworld.com, ETECSA operates under the brand cubacel.cu So I headed over to check out the site and guess what.... A SHITLOAD of Motorolas are available. Motorola being a USA Based company, and USA having trade embargo with Cuba i wonder how the F..K is it possible that Motorola phones are available through Cuban government owned operator???? I'd like to know who did Moto have to blow in order to get something like this happen. My guess is that Cubacel gets their supply through Europe (most likely through Russia as they're allies) thus proving that the ever going embargo only fu..ed US of A in the a** and nobody else.

[marcelol @ Mar 30th 2008 9:31PM]

acidscan: Most Cuban's do NOT make $20/month and MIGHT barely make $10/month. Perhaps party members or close relations with government posts. But to put into perspective...a Cuban Postal worker makes PRECISELY $6 USD per month. Don't believe me, I'll call a cousin of mine who is one ( oh that's right, he can't afford a cellphone...'natch ), and have him tell you in his perfect English what his salary is. And he's been with their postal service for 15 years. Now perhaps Doctors, or people who deal with tourists and hide tips ( and having visited family there, I can assert safely that service workers WILL do that, rather than pool tips with other workers ) might be able to purchase one.

The point everyone is missing....people piss and moan about the Patriot act here, and they fail to realize that that is PRECISELY how people on that island have been living for the last 49 years. Now, besides being watch by the "neighborhood watch" ( nee, party "block captain" ), their cellphone communications will now be listened into as desired, whenever desired, just like any regular phone calls to the island.

Matt: Here's how the F--k they can have US technology over there, if our companies can't directly import them. Shell companies in places like Mexico ( or just about any place ) purchase products at wholesale for sale "within" their countries, and instead, sell them to other shell companies owned by the Cuban government who simply pack them up and ship them there.

[marcelol @ Mar 30th 2008 9:32PM]

acidscan: Your spanish grammar is ridiculous

¿Me escuchas ahora?= Are you listenining to me now ?

¿Me puedes oir? = Can you hear me (now) ?

"Oir" holds double use as the verb both in passive and perfect tenses. Adding "ahora" would be UNDERSTOOD to be the case, and would be grammatically incorrect if it were included.

The use of "eschucas" is incorrect because it assumes that the other person is in the act of listening, which is obviously different than hearing.