11 million is .2 percent of the Cuban population? That must be one large island.

Cuban cellphone policy is as follows. Regular Cuban citizens are not allowed to open a cellphone line themselves. I don't know why. However, foreigners are allowed to take out 2 (or maybe it's 3) lines and then authorise Cuban nationals to use them. I have personally taken out a line for my boyfriend and one for his brother. 

You go to the Cubatel office and stand in a long line. When it's your turn you go in, give them your passport and they take a copy of it and enter you in the computer. They fill in some papers with your info and with the info, including the Cuban ID card, of the Cuban to whom you are giving the line. It costs about 120 USD. And that's it. You get a sim card and go pick out your phone. 

I bought a phone in Europe that is not locked to any provider so it is just a matter of sticking in the sim card and now he has a sony-ericsson with 512MB memory stick, MP3 player, video player, Polyphonic ringtones, etc.

The cell lines are all cash cards and you can load10 cuc or 20 cuc. This kind of money is hard to come by in Cuba so many people have a phone but rarely have credit on it.

Obviously this means it's hard for Cubans with no foreign contacts to get a cell phone, but you see them surprisingly often these days, at least in Havana.

As for coverage, there are places in "el campo" as Cubans would say, where you don't get coverage, but if you're in the cities you have no problems.