Q&A on Cuban Cell Phone Service

A. Probably so much that most Cubans can't afford it. Foreigners and companies currently pay $120 to activate service and 60 cents a minute for local calls.

Q. What about international calls?

A. Cuba already allows international cell phone calls at a steep cost. Daytime rates are $2.70 a minute to the United States, $2.45 to Mexico and $5.45 to almost everywhere else. A 10-minute call to Miami runs $33, more than the average government worker earns in a month.

Q: How will Cubans come up with that money?

A: Likely users include Cubans who get hard currency from relatives or friends living abroad, or who earn much more than most workers, either through legally licensed small businesses or black market enterprises.

Q. How good is the service?

A. A lot better than it was a few years ago, before Telecom Italia invested heavily in Cuba's fiber optic cable network and upgraded to the world's leading cell phone technology. Cuba's phone monopoly now believes it can handle heavier traffic and make money off of it.

Q. What kind of phones will be available?

A. The phone monopoly's cell division, Cubacel, already provides prepaid service and sells mobile phones with cameras for as much as $250. It also sells basic models of Nokia and Motorola phones, now considered obsolete in many other countries, for about $90 each.

Q. What about smart phone capabilities?