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COSTA RICA |
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Problems With Text Messaging Continues
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
(ICE) - Costa Rica's sole provider of
cellular service - said on Friday that it
was having problems with the text messaging
platform. The problem continues still today.
However, since the announcement, thousands
of complaints have been reported of users
not being able to text. Some users of the
older technology, TDMA, have also reported
experiencing some texting problems.
The problem has affected some 1 million
users, according to ICE, which is working on
resolving the problem.
Many in Costa Rica prefer to send a text
message or SMS (Short Message Service ) to
another telephone rather than make a call.
An SMS message costs ¢0.06 colones while a
minimum one minute telephone call costs
¢0.23 to 0.30 colones (off peak and peak
times), perhaps the main reason for
preferring texting, however, it could me of
a social change in people's habits and the
way they communicate with others.
In terms of traffic, in 2008 more than than
4 trillion text messages were sent globally,
in an industry that is valued at tens of
billions of dollars annually.
Throughout history technology has always
modified consumer behaviour, because it
makes out lives fulfilling and more time to
do other things. The cellular phone is one
of those. Can you imagine yourself without a
cellular phone?
Moving quickly ahead from the beginning of
the cellular phone revolution, although
voice is the primary method of
communication, text messaging is now the
preferred method.
A text message can be informative and means
"optional participation". A text message can
be used to schedule or change a meeting,
share a thought, an idea or it can be used
to communicate without someone without
interaction.
Smart phones offer even more flexibility in
texting. An iPhone, for instance, will treat
the exchange of text messaging as a
conversation, keeping each sides of the
conversation in a different coloured bubble
and in chronological order.
Smartphones all have a full keyboard, some
with physical keys, while others offering a
digital keyboard, eliminating the pecking of
a,b,c to get to the b and so on. |
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