Havana, March 12 (RHC)-- The number of cell phone lines in Cuba increased six fold over the past five years as a result of the development of those services, according to official sources.

Cuba's Telecommunications Company ETECSA announced that by the end of 2013, the country had 3 million 232,974 telephone lines, out of which 1 million 995,698 were mobile phones. This means that the amount of cell phones, currently 62 percent of all lines, surpasses by 1.6 times the number of fixed lines, said ETECSA Marketing director Tania Velazquez.

The Company also tested WiFi connections during the recent Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, an experience that will help lead to the expansion of that service to the hotel network, said the official.

Other actions by ETECSA this year include the setting up of 1,500 new public telephone services in the country and the replacing of 1,200 obsolete equipment, while modernizing another 2,500 units.

The official also referred to the creation of a self-employment modality for those who could work as telecommunications agents. Self-employment is a non-state modality boosted on the island as part of initiatives aimed at updating the Cuban economic model.