ETECSA subscribers rise by 130,000 in 2008

Cuban state-owned telco ETECSA increased its wireless subscriber base by more than 130,000 in 2008, BNamericas reports. ETECSA, the sole cellco in Cuba, finished the year with 330,000 subscribers compared to 273,600 in September 2008. The increase was due to a move by the government to make mobile phones more accessible to citizens by reducing the cost of activating wireless devices. ETECSA hopes to increase its subscriber base by 250,000 in 2009, rising to a total of 1.6 million by 2012, equivalent to around 10% of the Cuban population.