Chip cards issued by Etecsa (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba SA) have been widely used on the island for several years since 1994. However, the first public telephone cards were issued by Intertel (Empresa Internacional de Telecomunicaciones sa): a series of 4 values in US dollars ($ 10, two of $ 25, and $ 45) with a circulation of 50,000 each: Produced by French Schlumberger, they were intended for businessmen and foreign entrepreneurs, to make international calls. There are several variations concerning the code, overprinted on the front, on the back, or completely absent. In 2000, Urmet cards with values in Cuban pesos began to be marketed, as opposed to chip cards whose values continued to be expressed in US dollars.
