25 years after the first SMS was sent, Cubans are now finally allowed to send text messages to friends and family in the United States.
On Friday, the Cuban telephone monopoly lifted the barrier to text messages across the Florida Strait from Cuba to the United States. This is good news for the many Cubans who have relatives and friends in the neighboring country.
– From December 8th you can send text messages from any mobile phone to the United States, announced the company on its websites. Etecsa adds that the rate is “similar to that what other countries charge.” A text message (SMS) over the channel costs about 5 kroner.
Over two million Cubans live abroad – the majority of them in the United States – and the SMS ban has created a lot of frustration and led to many complaints.
Conversations and messages over the Internet are not a good option in a country where internet access is strictly controlled.
NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
