Telecommunications in Cuba

Cuban Telephone Company (CUTELCO) has been established in 1881 by Continental Telephone Company. Telephone lines were in relative abundance before the 1959 revolution. There were connections among 220 cities and towns, with 19876 telephones.

A slump in development of Cuban telephony has begun since the embargo imposed by the United States in 1962. The situation has improved somewhat after the collapse of the Soviet Union communist system. In 1993 there were 5.4 lines per one hundred people.

Since March 2008, the new president, Raul Castro, has allowed Cubans to obtain mobile phones in their own names. The one and only mobile phone operator on the island, ETECSA, has presented its offer that, even though expensive, is very popular with customers.

Cuba has problems to communicate with the world - mainly due to American embargo. To overcome the obstacle, in June 2008 the authorities signed an agreement on 1550 km long undersea optical fiber linking Santiago de Kuba province with Venezuelan state Vargas, with 640 GB throughput. The project is to be implemented by the end of 2010. It is a chance to get out of isolation, develop cellular telephony, and improve access to the Internet. Currently, the access is possible in many hotels, but its price is very high, ca. 6 CUC per hour (1 CUC or CUC$ - Cuban convertible peso - about 1.08 USD).

Television is the main communication medium in Cuba, also providing entertainment for the islanders. Although majority of the TV sets on the island are vintage American receivers brought to Cuba before revolution, or Soviet televisions bought years ago, every evening they are surrounded by Cuban families watching their favorite broadcasts. There are available four national programs: Cubavisión - TVC, Tele Rebelde, Canal Educativo, Canal Educativo 2, and over ten local channels. The United States Military has a television station to serve the troops at Guantanamo Bay, NBW 8. In hotels there are available foreign broadcasts. Satellite communications is possible via Russian Intersputnik.