The promotion will be in force until May 31, according to the company’s announcement.

Activation costs for cell phones in Cuba have dropped from an original 120 cuc to a current 40 cuc.

Local cell phone users will enjoy significant cost savings as the company recently made public new rates beginning May 3 for international calls, with a drop by 42 percent to 75 depending on the destination. The rate of national calls made from 11:00 pm to 6:59 am was also reduced from around $0.40 to $0.10 per minute. Likewise the collect-call service will be activated.

ETECSA is predicting that the number of wireless subscribers on the island will exceed one million by the end of 2010 and this figure is expected to be doubled up by 2015.

 
Cell phones subsidized by the government have also been distributed to people who live in remote areas where conditions make it too difficult to install landlines.
 

Cuba has invested some $150 million since 2003 to develop the local cellular phone industry, ETECSA's vice president of mobile services, Maximo Lafuente, told Prensa  Latina news agency.