Competition heats up for roaming, calling services in Cuba

Competition heats up for roaming, calling services in Cuba

T-Mobile to begin Cuba roaming service this summer
Two other U.S. carriers already have roaming deals with Cuba
Despite the embargo, U.S. telecom firms can offer services, products in Cuba
BY MIMI WHITEFIELD
mwhitefield@miamiherald.com

The Cuba telecommunications market is heating up with another U.S.
company announcing it will be easier for its customers to stay connected
when they're on the island.

T-Mobile said this week that it had signed an interconnect and roaming
agreement with ETECSA, the Cuban telecommunications company. The deal
means that starting this summer, T-Mobile Simple Choice customers will
be able to use voice, text and data services while traveling in Cuba.
T-Mobile said rates won't be announced until the summer launch.

Customers using the Stateside International Talk feature, which costs
$15 per month, also will be able to call landlines and wireless phones
in Cuba from the United States for 60 cents per minute — 65 percent less
than current rates.

"The historic opening of Cuba is a natural opportunity for us to take
action, and we are," said John Legere, president and chief executive of
T-Mobile. "We have more customers of Cuban descent than any other
wireless provider – so connecting them with family and friends in Cuba
is a message we heard loud and clear!"

The company said that more than one-third of wireless customers of Cuban
descent use T-Mobile.

Sprint, which signed a direct roaming and direct long-distance
interconnection agreement with ETECSA last year, answered the new
competition by saying it still "provides the strongest offer in the
market with its Sprint Cuba 20 Plus Plan." The plan, which costs an
additional $10 per month, offers 20 minutes of free calling to Cuba per
month. After that, plan subscribers pay 70 cents per minute for calls to
Cuba. The plan also offers discounted calling to other countries.

Verizon Wireless was the first U.S. wireless company to offer roaming in
Cuba when it began offering the service last year, and AT&T is
reportedly in discussions to begin offering roaming on the island.

Even though the embargo still remains in effect, U.S. companies are
allowed to sell personal communications equipment and telecom services
in Cuba and to enter into agreements with Cuba entities to improve the
Internet and telecommunicaitons infrastructure on the island.

Source: Competition heats up for roaming, calling services in Cuba | In
Cuba Today - http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article76771067.html