Cuba is reportedly building its first international cable, which will link the island to Venezuela. The 1,500km link will provide 640Gbps of capacity between the two countries and is due to be operational by 2010.

Previously, the island state had to rely on satellite bandwidth to connect to the rest of the world. As part of the deal between the two countries, Venezuela president Hugo Chavez also promised Cuba access to its Simon Bolivar satellite, reported TeleGeography.

Meanwhile, the Cuban government authorised the country’s post offices to offer Internet access services to Cubans. The service will include access to international email services for the first time although international Web access is still restricted to academics, government officials and visiting tourists, the Associated Press reports.