Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 7:29:31 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Posted Mar 28, 08 12:50 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – The Cuban government said today it will lift restrictions on mobile phones for the first time, the BBC reports—a sign new leader Raul Castro is following through on reform pledges. Cell phone service will be made generally available next week; service fees will have to be paid in foreign currency, however, effectively narrowing access to richer Cubans.

Only employees of foreign companies or top government officials had previously been allowed access, making Cuban mobile use among the lowest in Latin America. Castro, after taking over from elder brother Fidel in February, lifted a ban on many consumer electronics earlier this month, and has loosened restrictions imposed upon the island's farmers.

Sources BBC, Guardian (UK)

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • McCain Ad Links Obama to Castro

    Jul 24, 08 2:12 PM CDT
    McCain Ad Links Obama to Castro The McCain campaign is running an Internet ad composed of photos of Barack Obama and Fidel Castro side by side, with the caption “Fidel Castro thinks he is 'the most advanced candidate,'" the Huffington Post reports. The ad is running on websites catering to South Florida, home to many Cuban expatriates and deep anti-Castro sentiment. More »

  • Chavez: US Confrontation 'Inevitable'

    Jun 23, 08 3:25 AM CDT
    Chavez: US Confrontation 'Inevitable' With the US distracted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been busy amassing a Latin American power bloc to blunt Washington’s influence. But the firebrand leader, who calls President Bush “the devil” and the US “the empire,” is receiving level-headed advice from none other than Fidel Castro, writes Jon Lee Anderson in a New Yorker profile. More »

  • Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions

    Jun 20, 08 8:20 AM CDT
    Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions The European Union has agreed to lift sanctions against Cuba, much to the annoyance of the White House. "We see encouraging signs in Cuba and I think that we should show the population in Cuba that we are ready to work with them," an EU official tells the AFP. It's a largely symbolic victory for Cuba and Spain—which lobbied for the change—because sanctions have been suspended since 2005. More »

  • Forget Batteries —Get Ready for Fuel Cells

    Jun 19, 08 8:20 PM CDT
    Forget Batteries —Get Ready for Fuel Cells Think fuel cells are just for cars? Think again. Their real value may be to power portable electronics such as laptops and cell phones. Fuel cells that use methanol, rather than gasoline, could replace batteries in electronics. They last much longer and take just a moment to refuel—and they're greener and possibly safer than batteries, reports the Economist. More »

  • Ailing Fidel Appears on TV

    Jun 18, 08 5:58 AM CDT
    Ailing Fidel Appears on TV An animated Fidel Castro appeared on state-run Cuban TV yesterday, in the first such broadcast of the ailing revolutionary since January. Castro, standing in some parts of the video, was seen chatting in a garden with his brother Raul, the current Cuban president, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the AP reports. The trio discussed the global food and oil crises and  the effect of Midwest floods, Chavez told reporters. More »

People line up outside the Telecommunications Company of Cuba, or ETECSA, in Havana, Friday, March 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
A man talks on his mobile phone in Havana, Friday, March 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
A man talks on his mobile phone in Havana, Friday, March 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
Raul Castro speaks to lawmakers after being elected president of the State Council, Cuba's governing body, by Cuba's National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco,Prensa Latina)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 4)

Tags

cell phones  • Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • consumer electronics


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »