Country Information

Country Code: . Etecsa phonecards for both internal and external calls are readily available from shops and kiosks. Some calls must be made through the international operator, and may be subject to delays.

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. The mobile network Cubacel is administered by ETECSA (www.etecsa.cu), which offers prepaid cell service via phone cards available at Cubacel offices. GSM telephones operating on 900MHz enjoy national coverage, those on 800MHz have coverage in Havana, Varadero, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo only. Phone rental in Cuba can be unreliable; if you must have cellular service, bringing your own handset with roaming activated is advised.

Available at hotels and many principal Etecsa offices internet cafes. Some websites are censored by the Cuban government, while others cannot be accessed due to the US embargo.

Expect to be starved of printed information in Cuba. All media is state-controlled and Western newspapers are not available. CNN, BBC World and their ilk are available in most hotels. International news websites can be accessed in Cuba and blogs from the island are proliferating rapidly. Journalists must be accredited by the Centro de Prensa Internacional in Havana and operate within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda. The insulting of officials carries penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of electronic media is prohibited by the constitution, and foreign news agencies must hire local journalists only through government offices. Papers are in Spanish, although the Communist Party daily newspaper, Granma, publishes a weekly edition, called Granma International, in English, Italian, German, Portuguese and French. TV channels include Cubavisión, Tele Rebelde, Canal Educativo, and Canal Habana. Radio Habana Cuba is an external broadcaster broadcasting in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Correos de Cuba post offices are located throughout the country. Sending a letter to the USA or Europe costs CUC$0.65. It typically takes two weeks or more for mail sent from Cuba to arrive at its destination. Negotiations between the United States and Cuba regarding postal service are ongoing: as of April 2011, only 'light mail' (letters weighing up to 18 ounces) would be accepted by Correos de Cuba for posting to the USA.

Mon-Fri 0800-1500. Many luxury hotels have small post offices on site, or can sell stamps and post letters out of hours.