clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Verizon Says It's the First U.S. Carrier to Offer Cellphone Roaming in Cuba

But a one-minute phone call costs $2.99, more than the typical Cuban worker makes in a day.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Verizon said Thursday that its customers can now use their cellphones in Cuba, becoming the first U.S. carrier to do so.

However, the privilege won’t come cheap. Voice calls are $2.99 per minute, while data is $2.05 per megabyte. (Texts are at standard international rates.) That means a single megabyte or one-minute phone call is more than a typical Cuban worker makes in a day.

Separately, T-Mobile said Thursday it has added 20 more countries to the list of places where its customers can make discounted calls or use data for free, albeit at slow 2G speeds. With the additions, T-Mobile says it now covers all of Europe and South America.

We’ve reached out to the other major U.S. carriers to inquire about their plans for Cuba and will update when when we hear more.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.