ICE To Set Up 400 "Mini"
Agencies
The Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) said
yesterday that it will
increase the number of
"mini" agencies to 400,
according to Jorge
Sánchez, of the División
de Gestión Sectorial de
la institución.
Currently ICE operates
only 15 of the 22
originally planned mini
agencies, where all ICE
services are available
inside banks and
supermarkets.
The opening of the micro
agencies is part of
ICE's two year plan to
modernize, according to
Sánchez, as ICE readies
for competition with the
breaking of the
telecommunications
monopoly expected once
the Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the
United States - goes
into effect.
"The new mini agencies
are like those now
operated by ICE, but in
locations not operate by
ICE: it is to say,
paying someone to do our
work", said Sánchez.
The current ICE mini
agencies are staffed by
ICE personnel with
access to the ICE
mainframe. The new
mini agencies, however,
will be staffed by bank
or supermarket personnel
trained to offer ICE
services, to the same
standards of quality and
expertise now offered by
ICE personnel.
The move will mean lower
investment costs to
establish the mini
agencies. |
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