Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!telecom-request From: uccxmgm@unx2.ucc.okstate.edu Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Cuban Telephone Service Message-ID: Date: 24 Mar 91 00:06:26 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 36 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 232, Message 1 of 11 I remember, some time back, a discussion of the U.S. to Cuba telephone links. While I haven't been or called there, I do listen, at times, to a shortwave station called Radio Rebelde. I don't know why it is called that since it is run by the Cuban government and is not a clandestine. Since my grasp of the Spanish is rather poor, I listen to this and other stations as practice. A couple of months ago, the studio announcer was interviewing several correspondents in Latin America about sports teams in their areas. The program was either live or someone made off with their editing block as I heard three or four rather interesting telephone calls. The dialing and establishment of the line was being done off the air, but every line was really pathetic. The voice was understandable enough, but the noises on each of the lines were like something one might have heard on a U.S. telephone line 25 or 30 years ago. There was the usual dialing cross-talk, a strong 60HZ hum on each line, and a curious low-pitched beep like one hears on call-waiting. I think that this was to indicate toll charges since it seemed to be every two or three minutes. Once, the remote correspondent's voice ended suddenly with a loud click as something happened to his end of the line. After a few seconds of hum and noise, the Havana announcer got the call restarted again. A few minutes later, on the next call, the interview was going along at a brisk clip when the operator, probably in Havana, brok in and asked if they were through. Neither the Havana announcer nor the remote correspondent even slowed down in their conversation like this sort of thing is normal. A minute or so later, a different female voice popped onto the line and asked again if they were through. From all of this, it seems that when free enterprise returns to Cuba, the suppliers of modern telephone equipment will have a gold mine refurbishing the island's networks.