Contraloría Objects ICE's Plans To Purchase Cellular Lines From Alcatel and Ericsson
For whatever reason, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), misjudged the demand for cellular service and last December ran out of lines of the GSM network and has been scrambling to find ways to meet the demand of new subscribers.

Though it has more than 190.000 lines of the older technology, TDMA, users want the GSM and the services that that technology brings, like sending multimedia messages and internet connections, though ICE does not yet permit those functions on its network.

A solution to the immediate problem, after analyzing a number of options, was to purchase or expand the existing networks with 500.000 more lines, while it prepares a bid for the purchase of 1 million lines of the newer techonology known as 3G.

ICE made a request to the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller's office) to purchase 200.000 lines from Alcatel and 300.000 lines from Ericsson, the existing providers of GSM service in the country. The purchase would meet the immediate demands while the process, which can take up to a year or more, for the other lines continues.

The Contraloría is questioning the ICE decision of the acquisition of the 500.000 lines saying that it lacks the technical, legal and financial studies. Basically the Contraloría is judging the Institution's capacity for planning its mobile services.

The Contraloría responded by saying that the ICE request was "very general" and is requesting a detailed study on the legal aspects of expanding the existing network and a detailed dateline of action that will be put in place to meet the demand, that it deems "critical".

Getting into the fray is also the Defensoria de los Habitantes (Ombudsman) who is objecting to the expansion purchase from Alcatel, which has been mired in a corruption scandal that touched several high level ICE officials and two former presidents.

Lisbeth Quesada, Defensora de los Habitantes, said that though there exists a necessity and it is not right that people has to wait for a cellular line, ICE directors must reflect and evaluate the situation carefully before spending millions of public money with a company that has a questionable reputation in the country.