US-Cuba restore direct phone communications

Cuba and the US have restored direct telephone communications which were cut off in 1999.

The state-run Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A.(Etecsa) said on Wednesday that it has re-established direct connection between the two countries, initially for international calls, Xinhua reported on Thursday.

"Restoring direct telephone communication between the US and Cuba helps improve the installations and quality of the communication between the people of the two nations," Etecsa said in a statement.

Due to the US trade embargo, phone calls between the two countries had to be routed through third countries, making it more expensive and affecting quality.

As part of the rapprochement, the US relaxed some restrictions on doing business with Cuba, especially allowing US telecom firms to sell their services to Cuba.

Almost 2 million Cuban expatriates and their descendants live in the US.