Offbeat: Cell Phones Now Allowed in Cuba
Here's a really short history lesson: Fidel Castro, one-time dictator of Cuba, left his throne a couple of months ago due to failing health, leaving the country in the hands of his brother Raul.
Not a whole lot changed after the switch, minus the fact that the government recently gave out 3,000 Daewoo microwaves. Okay, there was actually one major thing - Cubans are now officially allowed to have cell phone service, which is sort of a milestone for the island country considering only foreigners and government officials could legally use a mobile phone up 'til then. So that's the cool part.
The not-so-cool part is that few residents can actually afford a cell phone, thanks to an average wage that's less than $20 US dollars combined with a wacky rule stating that cell phone service minutes have to be paid in "convertible pesos" which, according to Forbes, costs 24 times a regular peso.
And on a related note, Cubans are also now allowed to buy computers, DVD players, car alarms, and televisions (or at least they will be on Tuesday).
Get the whole scoop at Forbes: Raul Castro: Cubans Can Have Cell Phones
Tags: cuba
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Guess we could get all together and send our old phones with people who travel to Cuba, so they can give them away for free. The only problem then would be the SIM cards.