The French Company Orange Signs Agreement to Operate Internet in Cuba

The French Company Orange Signs Agreement to Operate Internet in Cuba /
14ymedio
Posted on January 22, 2015

14ymedio, 21 January 2015 — Last July the French telecommunications
company Orange, chaired by Stéphane Richard, signed a confidential
agreement with the Cuban state telecommunications company ETECSA to
develop communications in Cuba, according to the French weekly L'Express.

According to the information this newspaper had access to, the contract
stipulated that Orange would offer its services, products, and rates
(telephones and equipment) to Cuba's only local operator, and share its
knowledge. The French company also committed to create an institute in
Cuba dedicated to training in technologies and services for Latin
America and the Caribbean.

L'Express explains that the new measures announced by Barack Obama and
the easing of the embargo put the agreement with the French Telephone
Company at risk. The weekly notes that Cuba continues to be a backward
country with regards to access to the Internet and services are offered
at prices prohibitive for the population, which makes it an El Dorado
for those who want to develop this industry on the island.

Thus, L'Express comments, the agreement signed with Orange adds to the
interest shown by the United States in the technological advancement of
Cuba, initiated last June by Google, whose executives visited the island
to promote free Internet.

Source: The French Company Orange Signs Agreement to Operate Internet in
Cuba / 14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
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