Cuba’s state-owned telecoms operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) has revealed plans to launch a trial of 4G LTE technology next year, Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) cites the firm’s Director of Institutional Communication, Luis Manuel Diaz, as saying. The network will utilise spectrum in the 1800MHz band, as well as frequencies in the 700MHz range for more remote locations. The development came alongside the announcement that ETECSA has cut the cost of accessing the internet at public Wi-Fi locations and ‘salas de navegacion’ from CUC1.50 (USD1.50) to CUC1.0 per hour for customers with ‘Nauta’ international navigation accounts. Diaz also announced that 3G network coverage is present in the province of Havana, Isla de la Juventud and a number of tourist locations, while fixed broadband services for residential customers are available in parts of six provinces, namely Havana, Pinar del Rio, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma and Guantanamo.