President Raul Castro’s government is allowing ordinary Cubans to have cell phones.

The luxury was previously reserved for those who worked for foreign firms or held key posts with the communist-run state.

Friday’s decree officially lifts a major restriction on daily life in Cuba.

It’s the kind of small freedom many on the island have been hoping Raul Castro would embrace since taking over the presidency from his older brother Fidel last month.

Some Cubans previously ineligible for cell phones already had gotten them by having foreigners sign contracts in their names.