ETECSA
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| Type | Government owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Genre | Communications |
| Founded | Havana, Cuba |
| Area served | Nationwide |
| Products | Telephones, cellphones, internet |
| Website | etecsa.cu |
Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (English: Telecommunications Company of Cuba; ETECSA) is a government owned full telecommunications service provider for the island of Cuba. 27% of the company is owned by Telecom Italia with the remainder owned by the Ministry of Information and Communication. The services provided by ETECSA includes telephone, internet and wireless services. The company provides services to the public of Cuba, as well as the millions of tourists who vacation in the Republic of Cuba.
On 25 September 2006, it was announced that the President, José Antonio Fernández, and the Vice Minister for information, Nelson Ferrer, had been fired by the new Minister Ramiro Valdés for failing to control the company. [1]
[edit] Mobile telephone system
The first mobile telephone system was Cubacel, using AMPS and later D-AMPS. The company was a joint venture with Sherritt International. Later, a second system, C-com, was set up using GSM.
In 2005, the Cuban government bought Sherritt out (Sherritt International, until today, has not been paid in totality and the company has left Cuba. They also abandoned their mine's exploitation on the island due to non-payment[citation needed]) and merged Cubacel and C-com into a division of ETECSA. The two names continue as brands.
ETECSA announced that its D-AMPS network will be deactivated on march 31, 2009. From then on, GSM-900 and GSM-850 will be the only services.
Although ETECSA has new rates for their mobile communications, incoming and outgoing phone calls are still being paid in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC). This makes receiving and making calls very expensive for Cubans, even for tourists. The price of receiving or making a call with a cell phone in Cuba is currently 0.45CUC/minute which is equal to USD 0.49 per minute.
[edit] New Installation
ETECSA now is working on the installation of new public telephones and has decided to import from a new model from Italy, according to officials working near the Farmacia Escribano near the Ciancias Medicas in the city of Sancti Spiritus[citation needed]. In an exclusive interview, it has been said that the installation may be delayed because of financial crisis being faced by ETECSA. However, the government is keen on providing the best facilities for the Cuban people.
- [[1] http://www.etecsa.cu/ ETECSA - ETECSA Homepage]
- E-net - ETECSA Web Portal
- Cubacel web portal
[edit] References
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