Did you know that PC-to-phone call rates to Cuba are probably the most expensive in the world? I got to know this through a Cuban friend who told me that Skype rates to Cuba are higher than 1USD per minute. I was so shocked and as a result, I did a little bit of research on these rates. My objective was to compare Cuba’s rates with Malawi’s. At the end of it all, I discovered that Malawi’s rates are ten times cheaper.
The rates offered by various service providers for calling mobile phones in the two countries from a PC are as follows:
| SERVICE PROVIDER | CUBA RATE(USD) | MALAWI RATE (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| ComFi | 0.88 | 0.058 |
| Skype | 1.02 | 0.086 |
| Vyke | 1.74 | 0.175 |
| Voipcheap | 0.66 | 0.099 |
The rates to Cuba are just too strange. Call Cuba VoIP reveals that this is due to the current pricing schemes by the Cuban operator which are extremely high. Why are the people in the land of Fidel Castro being ripped off like this? Are the pricing schemes by the Cuban operator set by the government? It is as if Cuba belongs to a different planet altogether.
Of course, VoIP Cheap provides the best rate to Cuba. So if you make frequent calls to Cuba, I encourage you to go for VoIP Cheap.You may also consider using ComFi because their cost is good.
nearly everything in Cuba is government controlled , they are not socialist or even democratic , they run on communism , Until Fidel lost power ordinary citizens couldn’t even own a cell phone there. Be most assured the price has to do with the fact the government owns the utility’s in Cuba which would include all telecommunications networks ( and the few they wouldn’t own are still heavily government controlled )
Of course, I know that Cuba is a communist country.This, however, does not justify these astronomic phone rates.It is very bad.The government is ripping off its own citizens.On the other hand, it looks like there is no one speaking out for the Cubans (Correct me if there is).It is just quiet.The only thing that we hear about Cuba is the infamous Guantanamo Bay.
Hello Clement, this is the first comment that I write in your blog. Thanks for share with your readers our situation (I’m the cuban that inspire you to write the entry). You are right, the fact that Cuba is (in theory) a socialism country (not communist) does not justify the high prices for products or services. But, do you know in Cuba are just ONE company that offer telecommunication services?, I mean, a monopoly. That happens with all services and products in the country (only one entity produce or offer it), and the can do what ever they want. They… Read more »
Thanks for letting me know about this. I afraid that such governments still exist today. Reading the first comment of this post, since Cuba is not a democratic country, it may be likely for them to have a leader that they would hate to have.
You should try evaphone ( http://evaphone.com/ ),is free,no need install program.
Skype rates are still really low for phoning in UK. Not sure about South America though!
That’s the way it goes in countries where monopoly is fairest game in business. They simply have ability for such a things, and no one can stop them, so why not use it get richer on poor people. Too sad…
skype is great in Indonesia..
fantastic info, thank for sharing 🙂
Ouch that is really expensive. Doubt many people can afford it.
“Ouch that is really expensive. Doubt many people can afford it.” i spent 100 bucks in a week just because my GF was in a different country. its a freaking rip off.
Darn!That is really expensive!I wonder how the VA’s there react on this pricing scheme.
Everything they do in Cuba is aimed at keeping the country isolated so i guess this prices are part of a coherent strategy of the cuban regime to keep the country “safe”.
wow thats expensive, i find skype to be great for internationals so was surprised to hear this.
Wow!! What a rate it is. I love to see the rate. I didn’t know it before. Anyway i think skype provide a great service then others. Anyway Thanks for sharing this in your post with us.
Man thats expensive higher than 1$? i can buy a rice and chicken in McDonalds here in my country for 1$.
As Ricardo says above, the fact that there is only one carrier makes the situation ripe for monopolistic pricing. I use both skype and voip and have found both to be good, though voip can be unreliable. However, a few minor annoyances are a small cost for the price difference.
Yeah that’s right with VoIPCheap you can call anywhere in the world at the lowest rates.
I am glad that people are discovering that rates are not only based on the company offering the service but, basically. on the country or the destination company. Prices to Cuba are high because either the government imposes high taxes or the destination carrier is imposing higher rates
You did a good research. IMO there is no communism or socialism in Cuba. It is just one party, one leader (another monopoly!!!) ripping off the people. They are demoralizing people by making those rates high so that they can’t phone outside their country thus ensuring no information is passed. Can you believe that people can’t even own computer there left alone using internet! Dictatorship is communism.
Wow, I never knew. Its too bad that the people of Cuba have to suffer just because the government is imposing such high rates. However, Castro is old so we might possibly see a change in this very soon.
I know things are bad in Cuba but people have to realize things have been slowly ( actually fast if you take into account almost zero positive change until the last two years or so ) more rights are being granted to the people , and more changes then have been seen in many decades are now happening in Cuba. There is a power change going on there and with that change comes reforms. Hopefully the U.S.A reaches out to this nation and fosters positive growth versus impeding this tiny island nation with embargo’s and other non positive things. Is… Read more »
A good comparison given here. Whenever cheap calls means, Skype will be first in my mind. You have changed my mindset. I wish the quality of cheapvoip is also good.
what a pricing scheme, but I guess Skype still rocks 🙂
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Skype rates are still really low for phoning in UK. Not sure about South America though!
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I am glad that I don´t have any relatives in Cuba, otherwise it would be very expensive keeping in touch with them…
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Cuba’s restrictions on cell phone use has just recently been lifted(Feb 2008)according to some articles I have read. I doesn’t surprise me that PC to phone rates would high.
Purchase of a phone and one year activation is the equivalent of nine months pay of the average Cuban.
@Tony: Too bad for the Cubans…unfortunately, there seems to be no one to speak for them
That is strange. I never noticed this whenever I saw the pricing for skype calls. More than 1 USD is pretty high for any country
How true Clement,
However in just recent years the new change in leadership has brought about some new hope for them.
Perhaps soon they (Cuban Government) will follow a more democratic way of thinking.
@Tony: Good to hear that there is new hope in Cuba. I really do not follow Cuban politics very closely these days. All along, I have been thinking that Raul is just like his elder brother, Fidel.
As per my knowledge of telecommunication industry when you call from voip to any mobile phone or fixed line phone, the operator of these phones takes a fee from the calling network named as landing charge and as I got to know from comments on this post that in Cuba there is only on company so it’s clear that there is monopoly. This single company is taking high landing charge from other operator because most of the users in the country are using its services and other operators have to pay it because there is no other choice.
How I wish all phone calls will be as cheap as that. Sad to say that in my country, call cost so much more.
gr8 news, the comparison looks nice to me, where is malawi? is it in Africa?