Telecom Competition
Getting Ready For Costa
Rica
A number of
international
telecommunications
companies are packing
their bags ready for
their foray into Costa
Rica following the
approval of the law on
Monday that effectively
breaks the monopoly on
telecommunications in
the country that has
been held by the
Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE)
for the last 60 years.
According to a report by
the Spanish daily, Al
Día, companies like
Digicel and Movistar may
soon be opening up shop
in Costa Rica.
Of course the
competition may be much
more fierce than just
three competitors as U.S,
Canadian, Mexican and
European operators are
also looking at Costa
Rica's potential.
According to ministro de
Comercio Exterior
(foreign trade
minister), Marco Vinicio
Ruiz, only Digicel has
made an appointment, as
company executives look
for information about
doing business in Costa
Rica.
However, other players
may already know the
business climate in the
telecommunications
industry in Costa Rica
as they already have
been working with ICE.
Companies like Panama's
Cable & Wireless,
T-Mobile in the U.S,
Mexico's Telcel and
Spain's Telefonica, all
have roaming agreements
with ICE for
international calling
and text messaging. Some
of the agreements date
back to 2003.
Minister Ruiz added that
the telecommunications
regulations that will
govern the open market
should be ready by
September.
While competitors are
getting ready for the
opening, ICE is not
sitting by idly, it is
preparing itself with
the introduction of 1.5
million cellular lines
of the third generation
known as 3G that will be
available by the end of
2009.
In the coming months ICE
will also be breaking
tradition with a pilot
program of offering
cellular lines and
cellular telephone in a
package deal. ICE said
it will be bringing in a
limited number of
Blackberry telephones to
satisfy a corporate
demand and there are
rumours of a possible
deal with Apple for its
iPhone. |
