Staying Connected

Telephones

The phone numbering system inside Cuba is being modernized, but it remains quite confusing. Havana's city code is one digit. Other area codes are two digits; individual phone numbers can range from five to seven digits. You do not need to use the city or area code for local calls, but you must dial 01 followed by the city or area code for any long-distance call within Cuba or to a cellphone, except when calling to or from Havana. From Havana to any other province or from a province to Havana, you would dial only the zero before the area code. Thus, a call from Trinidad to Pinar del Rio would start 01-48. A call from Havana to Pinar del Rio would begin 0-48. The same rules apply for a cellphone call. All Cuba cellphones begin with a 5. To dial a cellphone from a fixed line in Havana, dial 0-5, then the rest of the cellphone number. If you call a cellphone from any other province, dial 01-5, then the rest of cellphone number. If you dial cellphone to cellphone, just dial 5, then the rest of cellphone number.

To call Cuba: If you're calling Cuba from the United States:

• First dial 011, the international access code.
• Then dial 53, the country code.
• And last, dial the area code and then the number.
• The whole number you'd dial for a number in Havana (area code 7) would be 011-53-7-XXX-XXXX.

To make international calls: To make international calls from Cuba, first dial 119 and then the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next dial the area code and number. For example, if you want to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., you would dial 119/1-202-588-7800. You can make collect calls to Canada, Spain, the U.S., France, Italy, and the U.K.

For directory and operator assistance: Dial tel. 113 if you're looking for a number inside Cuba and for domestic help, and dial tel. 180 for numbers to all other countries and for help with collect calls.

Nearly all hotels and some casas particulares have phones in their rooms. Dialing instructions should be available in rooms; if not, contact the reception desk. Cuba has a wide range of public telephone booths where Cuban pesos (moneda nacional) and a variety of cards can be used. Any older sky-blue phone or newer royal-blue phone with a coin slot will take moneda nacional. This is the cheapest option where you can talk for a very long time for 1 peso. New royal-blue phones will take cards expressed in CUC (from CUC$5/US$5.40/£2.70) and moneda nacional. Only buy the CUC cards to make international calls, as making a local call means you are paying more than several times the peso amount. You can also buy cards of certain values with codes that allow you to make calls from a private phone or a public phone by dialing an access code first and then your card number and then the phone number you wish to dial. These cards are available in CUC and in moneda nacional and may be worth purchasing if you plan to make a lot of local calls on your trip.

Note that many public phone booths, especially in Havana, frequently break down. Those that are working suffer from long queues in Havana and, if you are in a rush, this may not be your best option.

Note that if you stay in a casa particular and wish to confirm your subsequent casa in another town, your casa owner will make this courtesy call for you.

Cellphones

In Cuba, cellular service is controlled by Cubacel, Avenida 5 and Calle 76, Edificio Barcelona, Centro de Negocios, Miramar (tel. 5/264-2266; www.cubacel.cu). Cubacel has offices at the José Martí International Airport and in Havana and most major cities and tourist destinations. Cubacel offers cellphone rentals for CUC$6 (US$6.50/£3.25) per day, with a CUC$3 (US$3.25/£1.60) daily activation fee. You'll have to leave a deposit and purchase a prepaid calling card. If you have your own phone, you will just have to pay the CUC$3 (US$3.25/£1.60) daily activation fee. Cubacel works with both TDMA phones and GSM systems. Prepaid calling cards are sold in denominations of CUC$10 (US$11/£5.40), CUC$20 (US$22/£11), and CUC$40 (US$43/£22). Rates inside Cuba run between CUC40¢ (US45¢/20p) and CUC60 (US65¢/30p) per minute for outgoing calls, depending on the hour and destination called. Incoming calls are charged between CUC$.35 (US40¢/20p) and CUC$.45 (US45¢/20p) per minute. Rates to the rest of the world run between CUC$2 (US$2.15/£1.10) and CUC$4 (US$4.30/£2.15) per minute. Text (SMS) messages are free to receive, but cost CUC16 ¢ (US20¢/10p) to send within Cuba and CUC$1 (US$1.10/55p) to send abroad. If you intend to only make a few calls or send a few text messages, it will be cheaper to bring your own phone than pay the cumulative daily Cubacel charges. (Remember to dial Cuba's country code of 53 before any area code and the number you wish to dial in the country before using your own phone.)

Note: Any phone with an SIM from a U.S. provider will not work in Cuba.

Internet & Email

With Your Own Computer -- A handful of hotels have Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) "hot spots," from which you can get a high-speed connection without cable wires, networking hardware, or a phone line . These include the Meliá Cohiba, the NH Parque Central, Hotel Saratoga, and Hotel Chateau Miramar.

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests. Throughout Cuba, electricity is 110-volt AC, and most outlets are U.S.-style two- or three-prong. However, many of the large hotels and resorts that cater primarily to Canadian and European clientele are wired for 220 volts.

Without Your Own Computer -- Internet access has greatly improved in Cuba and so has the speed, but it is by no means high speed. In all the major cities, you will now find Etecsa offices with Internet connections for which you must buy a CUC$6 (US$6.50/£3.25) per hour card. Control has also increased and you could be asked to sign your name, passport number, and Internet card code on a list of Internet users in these telephone/telepunto/minipunto offices. All upscale hotels and resorts also provide for guest connectivity in one form or another. Many of these operate with Etecsa cards, but you must buy your card at the hotel, because an Etecsa card bought elsewhere will not operate on the hotel's computer.

Some high-end hotels in Havana charge more than CUC$6 (US$6.50/£3.25) an hour.

The José Martí International Airport in Havana also has Internet access.