T-Mobile inks roaming deal for U.S. customers traveling to Cuba

T-Mobile is becoming the latest tech company to embrace the burgeoning U.S. / Cuba relationship with the announcement that it has signed a roaming and interconnect agreement with Cuban telecom company Empresa De Telecomunicaciones De Cuba, S.A. (ETECSA).

The deal will mean U.S. residents on T-Mobile will benefit from “more affordable” voice calls to family and friends in Cuba, while those traveling to the tiny Caribbean nation from this summer will be able to access data, voice, and text through roaming.

“The historic opening of Cuba is a natural opportunity for us to take action, and we are. That’s the Un-carrier way!” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, in a press release. “We have more customers of Cuban descent than any other wireless provider – so connecting them with family and friends in Cuba is a message we heard loud and clear!”

The White House first revealed that U.S. networks would be allowed to operate in Cuba way back in 2014, with Verizon becoming the first wireless company to offer roaming services last September, followed shortly by Sprint. AT&T is also rumored to be announcing something soon, though nothing firm has materialized yet.

A bunch of companies from across the tech spectrum have also been opening for business in Cuba, including Netflix, which launched there last year, and Airbnb, which followed suit back in March. Payment platform Stripe also recently expanded its Atlas product to Cuba, giving local Cuban startups access to a U.S. bank account and Stripe account, as well as helping them become incorporated as a legitimate business entity in the U.S.