Cool Reception For
Cellular Lines
The expected cellular
fever by Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE)
officials never
happened, as only 2.600
people signed up for
service yesterday
instead of the 10.000 or
more that had been
predicted to gobble up
the 340.000 GSM lines
made available beginning
yesterday.
At the ICE agencies
around San José business
as usual. No long lines.
No waiting for hours in
a frenzy to connect to
the cellular network.
The same coolness was at
the retailers around
town, who for the most
part had expected a rush
of customers to buy up
their large supply of
cellular telephones.
Retailers like Gollo,
Monge and Play, all had
special inserts in
yesterday's newspapers,
offering cellular phones
from the least to the
most expensive.
The retailers had
expected a rush of
customers taking
advantage of new
cellular lines. But, the
rush never materialized.
The last time ICE
offered new cellular
lines was in December
2006 when the last of
the Ericsson 600.000
were taken up. Since
then, ICE has only been
able offer lines of
customers who did not
pay their bills, selling
off blocks of 5.000 or
10.000 every few months.
The lack of lines at ICE
offices and retailers is
mainly due to ICE's
organization. ICE has
been taking reservations
for the new lines since
September and announced
an orderly process of
subcription for the new
lines without having to
make lines, for example,
yesterday all those with
reservations between
07080528 and 07090584
were able to connect,
while today the order is
for reservations between
07090585 and 07100621.
Also, ICE's announcement
that customers need not
rush to get connected
when their reservation
number is called,
allowing customers time
to come in after their
number is called,
eliminating the lines
that have been a custom
of the past.
To get connected,
potential customers have
to call "193" or visit
an ICE agency to get a
reservation number. Once
the number is called,
customers can go to any
ICE agency or authorized
retailer to get
conencted, which is by
paying the ¢12.500
colones deposit, having
their cellular telephone
and purchase receipt on
hand, along with a
recent utility bill and
their cedula.
Non-residents cannot get
connected to the
cellular network.
Claudio Bermúdez, of the
Subgerencia de
telecomunicaciones del
ICE, expected to have
50.000 lines connected
each week until all the
lines are gone. Bermúdez
said ICE has the ability
to connect up to 15.000
lines per day.
Another change that ICE
wants customers to be
aware of if that they
can get their own
cellular phone connected
at any authorized
retailer and to file a
complaint against any
retailer who refuses to
connect a customer
unless they purchase a
cellular phone.
ICE authorized agents
(retailers) have the
obligation to connect
any customer meeting
ICE's requirements,
which does not include
having to buy a cellular
telephone from the
retailer, added Bermúdez.
The reservation numbers
being attended to this
week are:
• Monday 17 December:
07080528 to 07090584
• Tuesday 18 December:
07090585 to 07100621
• Wednesday 19 December:
07100622 to 07110669
• Thursday 20 December:
07110670 to 07120714
• Friday 21 December:
07120715 to 07130771
Some questions answered
about cellular service
in Costa Rica:
1. The cellular unit
must be "homolgado",
that is it must be on a
list of approved units
by ICE for it to be
activated. The list of
approved units is
available at the website
www.grupoice.com.
What this means is that
if you were to go to ICE
with an iPhone, for
instance, it will not be
connected as it is not
an approved phone.
However, once you have
the line connected to an
approved phone, you can
then insert the SIM chip
in your iPhone.
2. Cellular service is
not transferrable.
3. For a fee of ¢7.560
customers can request a
specific number, if that
number is available.
4. TDMA and GSM
technologies are
incompatible. You cannot
connect a TDMA cellular
telephone to a GSM line
and viceversa.
5. Altough the maximum
number of cellular lines
an individual can own is
3, there is no maximum
for a corporate entity.
6. ICE does not sent out
phone bills unless you
provide an "apartado
postal" (postal box).
7. You can change your
cellular phone number at
any time by visiting any
ICE agency, having your
identification and
cellular telephone in
hand and there is no
outstanding amount owed.
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