Phone Calls

ETECSA (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A.), in English: Telecommunications Company of Cuba, is the government-owned service provider for the entire country. Their services include: Phone service, mobile telephony (through their CUBACEL branch), Internet and wireless Internet (through their NAUTA branch). List of ETECSA commercial offices and MiniPuntos in Varadero.

Using your cellphone in Cuba

OPTION 1: CubacelTur Service

Tourists can get a CubacelTur SIM Card. This is a temporary mobile line valid for 30 days from its activation.
It costs $25 USD and includes:
6 GB of mobile data + 100 minutes of calls + 100 SMS
(Subject to change, check the ETECSA website for up-to-date offers: www.etecsa.cu/en/visitors/cubaceltur)
The CubacelTur mobile line can be purchased through ETECSA/Cubacel international vendors, they are:
www.cubaceltur.com
www.recargasacuba.com

It can be purchased before traveling or during your stay in Cuba by accessing the website of these suppliers. Once purchased is made, you receive an email with instructions on where to pick up the SIM card. They can normally be picked up in Terminal 3 of the Havana Airport (José Martí Airport) opened 24h, or at any ETECSA office during business hours.

You may also purchase additional Data packages through these same vendors: 10GB, 20GB ou 50GB

Things to know about the CubacelTur service:

• It is reserved to foreign tourists visiting Cuba. You must have a foreign passport to purchase it.
• Your cellphone must be unlocked and operate in 3G (900 or 2100 MHz) or 4G (1800 MHz).
• Once activated it is valid for 30 days.
• Adding additional Data Packages does not extend the 30-day duration, it only increases the volume of data.
• You can make national and international calls as long as you still have minutes available. You cannot purchase additional minutes of calls or SMS, only Mobile Data can be added.
• Through the query *222 *887 #, you can check how many MB, minutes and SMS are still available, and the expiration date of your line.

OPTION 2: Cubacel line with a number of contracted days

If you are staying in Cuba for more than 30 days, then you could consider purchasing a mobile line whose validity depends on the number of days you wish to contract, which can range from 3 days to 12 months. More information here: www.etecsa.cu/en/visitors/cubacel-mobile-line

OPTION 3: Through international Roaming

Foreigners can use their cellphone in Cuba (with their own number/SIM card) via the Cubacel network. ETECSA has roaming agreements with hundreds of mobile carriers from more than 150 countries (listed in their website: www.etecsa.cu/en/visitors/roaming). However, if you prefer to avoid costly roaming charges, you may want to consider purchasing a Cubacel SIM card (see options above), or, using a voice-over-IP app (via internet) instead; such as Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, FB Messenger, etc. Visit our Internet & WiFi page for more information on how to access the Internet.

Making phone calls from landlines and public phones

Tourists can make phone calls using their hotel's phone service (charge to the room) but it's very expensive, about $2-3 USD per minute for international calls. The most economical way to make landline phone calls is to purchase a Tarjeta Telefónica PROPRIA, this is a prepaid calling card that provides a Personal Code that can be used with any private phone or public phone to make local, national or international calls. They come in denominations of 5 CUP or 10 CUP. Instructions on how to use them appear on the back of the card, more information here: www.etecsa.cu/en/public-telephones.

You can buy them in ETECSA offices and MiniPuntos, commercial centers, airports, and some hotels and resorts sell them too. The Propria cards have a validity period of 9 months with the possibility of topping it up to increase its balance and extend its validity for another 9 months. Recharges can be made at ETECSA's commercial offices, or through the "166" options using recharge coupons.

How to make a call via the Propria service: Dial 166 and then follow the instructions

Here are the call rates(*) using the Propria service:
• Local calls: 0.10 CUP per 3 minutes
• National long distance calls: 0.20 to 1.00 CUP per minute (depending on distance and time of day)
• International calls to all countries except Venezuela: 25.00 CUP per minute
• International calls to Venezuela: 17.50 CUP per minute
(*) Subject to change, please check here: www.etecsa.cu/en/public-telephones

There's another type of public phone that accepts coins (0.05, 0.20 or 1.00 CUP) for local and national calls (no international calls).

Collect calls (reverse charge)
Reverse charge calls can be made from designated public phones located in places of high communication need (considered Category 1) such as: polyclinics, hospitals, dental clinics, blood banks, pharmacies, funeral homes, cemeteries, maternity and nursing homes, terrestrial, naval and air public transport terminals, and facilities in charge of ticket reservations. To access the reverse charge service on these public phones, you must dial 1 6969.

How to make a phone call from/to VARADERO:

INTERNATIONAL CALLS :

   How to make a phone call from Cuba to another country:

   • Dial 119
   • Dial the Country Code (Canada: 1, USA: 1, UK: 44, Spain: 34, France: 33, Germany: 49, Argentina: 54, etc.)
   • Dial the Phone Number (including the area code)

   How to make a phone call to a LANDLINE in Varadero from another country:

   • Dial your country's Exit Code for international calls (Canada/USA:011, Italy:00, UK:00, Spain:00, Germany:00, etc.)
   • Dial 53 (Country code for Cuba)
   • Dial 45 (Regional code for Varadero and Matanzas Province)
   • Dial Phone Number

   How to make a phone call to a CELLPHONE in Cuba from another country:

   • Dial your country's Exit Code for international calls (Canada/USA:011, Italy:00, UK:00, Spain:00, Germany:00, etc.)
   • Dial 53 (Country code for Cuba)
   • Dial the Cellphone Number (8 digits always starting by 5)

LOCAL CALLS WITHIN CUBA :

   From a LANDLINE to another LANDLINE:

   • Within the same area code, dial : Phone Number
   • To make a long-distance call, dial: 0 + Area Code + Phone Number

   From a LANDLINE to a CELLPHONE:

   • Dial 01 (01 is the code for all provinces in Cuba except for the city of Havana, if calling from Havana City the code is 0)
   • Dial the Cellphone Number (8 digits always starting by 5)

   From a CELLPHONE to a LANDLINE:
   (It is no longer required to dial 0 since October 2013)

   • Dial the Area Code (see list on the left)
   • Dial the Phone Number

   From a CELLPHONE to another CELLPHONE:

   • Dial the Cellphone Number (including 5 which is the first digit of every Cuban cellphone number)

Lily & Normand
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