Verizon recently announced that it would start roaming wireless services in Cuba. It is the first company ever to offer such service in Cuba. This is the first attempt from Verizon Inc. to improve relations between Cuba and US.
The US has always been known for its excellent
telecommunication services and its helping hand towards Cuba would make communications
there better. This attempt has thereby improved the relation between the
nations in telecommunications. Telecom equipment were the exempted services of
the US economic embargo after Havana and Washington proposed to restore
diplomatic relations in December.
Verizon is making the option expensive by offering voice call
services at the rate of $2.99 per minute and $2.05 per megabyte for data.
Americans need to purchase a pay as you go cellphone through ETECSA (Empresa de
Telecomunicaciones de Cuba SA) in order to get cellular service in the island
or it should have a cellular account in a third country. ETECSA won’t offer
data.
Boost Mobile, that is part of Sprint, released a prepaid plan
in April for US subscribers which was termed as calling and texting Cuba. US
based IDT Corp clubbed with ETECSA in an agreement in April to offer its
customers direct international long distance services. Earlier, phone communication
between both these countries had to pass through the third country.
Only 2 million people in Cuba own a cellphone out of a
population of 11 million. Cuba officials announced that the US embargo has weak
development and they feel they will reach 60% mobile phone access by 2020.
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