Great news for your loved ones back home in Cuba: Etecsa rolled out its 3G service to answer pent-up demand, thus entering a new communication era. Most Cubans use the internet to visit social networks and to keep in touch with you, the family members or friends who live abroad, so this is a great opportunity to get in touch more often.

Here are some more specific facts and useful information:

  • Launch date

    From December 6, users started receiving progressively, according to their phone number, a notification that they are ready to proceed with acquiring the packages:
    December 6th: 52xxxxxx and 53xxxxxx
    Day December 7th: 54xxxxxx and 55xxxxxx
    December 8th: 56xxxxxx and 58xxxxxx

  • Who can enjoy 3G in Cuba?

    The service will be available to users who have devices that support 3G technology, configured with the Nauta Access Point Name (APN) and who have been identified before as having been able to use data. The service is on 900 MHz only, meaning handsets will have to be compatible to that specific frequency. Users who apply to use the service can activate it directly over-the-air with Etecsa.

  • Are there any extra steps they need to follow to enable 3G?

    Subscribers already recognized by the network with these characteristics, i.e. those who have previously used Nauta services will be able to acquire the package they want without having to go to a commercial office, dialing *133# on their own telephone and following the menu options.

    People who use a cell phone with those characteristics and who have not used Nauta services so far, if interested in accessing the 3G service, they should configure the Nauta APN, activate the data service from a location with 3G coverage and just establish a first connection. From that moment, in 48 hours, they will get a notification message, informing that the desired offer can be acquired.

  • If they do not receive the SMS, can they try to access it before the package is enabled?

    This is not advisable, they should wait, because they won’t have access until they receive the SMS, nor will they have the Menu enabled. So they can get confused and buy a wrong package, an action that will not be reversed. If after 48 hours, they have not received it any SMS, they should check the channels available to see if the service was enabled, or contact 118 or 52642266

  • If the phone does not have 3G at 900 MHz, can they access the service?

    No, since the launch is planned for users of devices that use 3G compatible devices.

  • How can they configure the Nauta APN on their terminal?

    Name: NAUTA
    APN: nauta
    Type of APN: default
    MCC: 368
    MNC: 01
    APN protocol: IPv4
    APN Roaming Protocol: IPv4
    The other fields: should be left empty

  • How much do the packages cost?

    Etecsa’s packages range from 600MB (7 CUC) to 4GB (30 CUC).

    600MB Plan = 7.00 CUC
    1GB Plan = 10.00 CUC
    2.5 GB Plan = 20.00 CUC
    4 GB Plan = 30.00 CUC

    Users get a bonus of 300MB use of local .cu domain websites and the plans are valid for 30 days. The validity of the package will start from the first use and the data not used by the end of the cycle will be lost.

You can find out more about 3G by accessing www.etecsa.cu or http://mi.cubacel.net.