Telecommunications in Cuba

Telecommunications in Cuba consists mainly of NTSC analog television, analog radio, telephony, AMPS, D-AMPS, and GSM mobile telephony, and the Internet. Telephone service is provided through ETECSA, mobile telephone service is provided through the Cellular Telephone Company of Cuba (CUBACEL) and Caribbean Cellular (Celulares del Caribe, C-COM). Cuba's main international telecommunications links are through Intersputnik, with antiquated undersea telephone cables to the U.S., the West Indies, Spain, and possibly Italy.

Telephone

Country code: +53

International call prefix: 119

Telephones - main lines in use: 1.2 million, 72nd in the world, less than 10 per 100 inhabitants (2009).

Telephones - mobile cellular: One million mobile phones at the end of 2010 (9 per 100 inhabitants), up from 621,000 in 2009 and 330,000 in 2008, when all Cubans were allowed to buy and use them for the first time. Mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos, which limits subscribership.^[1][2]

Telephone system: 95% of telephone switches were digitized by end of 2006.^[2] Principal trunk system is coaxial cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud; two microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other newer, Soviet-built); both analog and digital mobile cellular service established; one international satellite earth station, Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region). A new undersea fiber-optic link with Venezuela is scheduled for 2011.^[3][4]

Radio

Radio broadcast stations: 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations. All state-owned and operated by the Cuban Radio and Television Corporation (ICRT), which manages Radio Rebelde, the largest AM network, and the SW service Radio Habana Cuba. Radio Marti, based in Miami, Florida and financed by the United States government, transmits Spanish language radio broadcasts to Cuba.^[2]

Radios: 3.9 million, 64th out of 188 in the world (1997)^[5]

Television

Main articles: Television in Cuba and List of television stations in Cuba

Television broadcast stations: 4 national TV networks and many local TV stations. All state-owned and operated by the Cuban Radio and Television Corporation (ICRT). TV Marti, based in Miami, Florida and financed by the United States government, transmits Spanish language TV broadcasts to Cuba. The American Forces Network (AFN) has a station intended for U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.^[2]

Televisions: 2.64 million, 54th out of 185 in the world (1997)^[6]

Internet

Main articles: Internet in Cuba and Internet censorship in Cuba

Internet users: 1.6 million, 79th in the world, roughly 12% of the population (2010)^[2]

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2, Empresa Telefonica de Cuba, S.A (ETECSA), Colombus (2003)

Top level domain: .cu

A special permit is required to use the Internet. Access to the Internet is heavily controlled, and all e-mails are closely monitored.^[7][8]

The Cuban authorities have called the Internet "the great disease of 21st century" due to 'counter-revolutionary' information being available on a number of websites, some of which are official news sites.^[9] As a result of computer ownership bans, computer ownership rates were among the world's lowest.^[8] However, since buying a computer was legalized in 2007, the ownership of computers in Cuba soared, dramatically increasing the number of Internet users. But, the rates still remain quite low, partially due to the high costs of systems and Internet usage per hour in contrast to the average monthly wage.^[7]

See also

• Communications in North America
• Human rights in Cuba

References

External links

• GSM World - GSM Coverage Map of Cuba