Sprint Signs First Direct Roaming Agreement With Cuba

An anonymous reader writes: Sprint is now the first U.S. wireless carrier to sign a direct roaming agreement with Cuba. Sprint already has a direct long-distance interconnection agreement with the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA). "As the commercial relationship between the U.S. and Cuba continues to progress, it is expected that the number of travelers to Cuba will increase exponentially," said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. "We want to make sure any Sprint customer traveling to Cuba can use their phone the same way as they do in the United States."

As a locked in Sprint customer...

[Bodhammer]

""We want to make sure any Sprint customer traveling to Cuba can use their phone the same way as they do in the United States." - not sure that is the best way to win new customers. Suggestion - put up some towers instead!

Re:

[Joe_Dragon]

""We want to make sure any Sprint customer traveling to Cuba can use their phone the same way as they do in the United States."*

* data costs $15 per meg and voice $0.59/minute

Re:

[Lumpy]

Yep... Sprint wants Cuba to suffer with super crappy phone service...

Honestly why can't get get them brought up on charges for inhumane treatment of cubans if they do this?

Translation

[viperidaenz]

We'd like to pocket the roaming fees, instead of having customers buy a local sim card when they get to their destination and cut us out of the revenue"

And then ...

[PPH]

... we could open some Radio Shacks in Havana. This will get them yearning for the days of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Radio Silence

[Anonymous Coward]

Wonder if ETECSA will turn on some faster data speeds soon? And other frequencies ...In the city of Santiago and its environs presently only 900mhz is on and data, if. it works at all is E speed at best. I get pretty regular email out of Cuba and the sender uses her phone. And here's the oddball thing: it is less expensive for her to send me email than it is to send a text message, txting costs 1 CUC per, or maybe even two now. Havana gets everything first anyway,....

Viva la revolución!

Not surprising,

[Holi]

They have a strong presence in the Caribbean.