Direct call services between Cuba and the United States will be a reality soon, through an agreement reached between Verizon Partner Solutions and ETECSA, Cuba’s sole telecommunications provider.
Verizon Partner Solutions of Verizon Communications Inc., is the second American company to seal one of these agreements for direct interconnection with Cuba, after IDT corporation reached a similar agreement in February 2015.
According to a press release published by ETECSA, the service will start with phone calls, although they didn’t mention how long the test stage would take.
An element that could slow down the implementation, as it has happened with similar agreements, is the fact that Cuba cannot use U.S. dollars in its transactions and has to use banks in third countries, due to embargo regulations.
There are great expectations on the island about these possible agreements in communications and Internet, which are a priority in the bilateral agenda.
Currently, the rate of calls from Cuba to the United States is 2.70 CUC for pay as you go customers and 1.10 CUC for pre-paid plans.
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This announcement comes one week before the trip of president Obama to the island, at a time when American companies are rushing to be the first to get licenses and the best deals to invest in the island.
Verizon is one of the biggest telecommunications providers in the United States.
It was the first company to offer roaming services to Cuba, starting in 2015, followed by Sprint.
Authors
OnCuba Staff,
OnCuba editorial staff
