Cuba to allow cellphone service for citizens

Cuba will start offering cellphone access to normal citizens, the country's state-run company ETECSA said today. Previously limited to certain government workers as well as outsiders roaming on the network, the cellular service should now be available to all Cubans within a few days. Exact pricing and the phones on offer are unknown, though the service is unlikely to include American companies such as Motorola or Palm due to trade sanctions.

The surprise shift towards open access comes just two weeks after Cuba removed bans on computers and other home electronics and signals a major change in policy by new country president Raul Castro, who is believed to be considerably more liberal than his now retired brother Fidel. The US has not yet discussed whether it will make calling arrangements between itself and Cuba.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: Cuba, ETECSA