The Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) will activate international roaming services for prepaid mobile phones starting March 1, amid a scenario characterized by new rates in dollars and increasing criticism regarding service quality.
The state-owned company announced in January that users will be able to purchase specific plans in USD through international distributors and offices that sell in that currency, allowing them to keep their Cuban line active abroad and make calls, send SMS, and use mobile data in countries with existing agreements.
What is international roaming?
Roaming is the service that allows a customer to use their mobile line outside of their home country by connecting to networks of foreign operators.
In the case of Cuba, it involves keeping the national number while traveling and paying the fees set by ETECSA for calls, messages, and data abroad.
The service will be available in 174 countries, although it depends on the availability of calls, SMS, and data over 2G, 3G, or 4G networks.
It is important to note that the service activation occurs automatically when the user turns on their mobile phone in the destination country and the device recognizes the network of one of the partner operators.
Rates in effect from January
The activation of the service occurs following the entry into force on January 29 of Resolution 48/2025 from the Ministry of Communications, signed in October and published in the Official Gazette in December.
The regulation authorizes ETECSA to charge up to 3.00 dollars per minute for calls—made or received—1.00 dollar for each SMS sent, and 1.00 dollar for each megabyte of data consumed while roaming, in prepaid mode.
The resolution allows for lower prices with ministerial authorization, but the maximum rates are already in effect and are expressed in US dollars, against a backdrop of significant emigration and a constant need for communication with family members both within and outside the island.
Discontent with prices and quality
The launch of the service coincides with numerous complaints from users about the poor quality of mobile data connections, outages associated with blackouts, and difficulties in claiming compensations.
On social media, several customers have reported repetitive responses to reports of issues, as well as the disparity between currency top-ups and the service they consider to be inadequate.
In a country where the average salary in Cuban pesos barely covers basic expenses, paying up to $3.00 per minute for a call can equate to several days' worth of income.
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