New GSM Service in October, ICE Says
Following many months of speculation and uncertainties, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) announced that is starting work on the new GSM cellular network that will see the installation and marketing of 600.000 new GSM cellular lines.

ICE says that customers can start to make their request for the new cellular service as early as October, but in reality it won't be until December when the service will actually start operating.

The us$130 million contract with the Ericsson company has taken a long road but it is now slowing becoming a reality, following the approval by the Contraloría General de la Republica last month. Originally the contract was signed in early 2004 and was to have been active by late last year. Complications regarding the awarding of the contract and accusations possible corruption following the Alcatel-ICE scandal last summer stalled the approval process.

The new GSM network will be superior in service and quality of the existing 400.000 GSM lines installed by Alcatel.

ICE in the last 10 years, slowing but surely will count with the latest in cellular telephone technology. With the new service, it is expected that the transmission of photos will be permitted, along with a host of unannounced services.

Current TDMA customers who want to switch to the GSM service will be able to do so, connecting to the new GSM network without having to change their current phone number.

One of the things that will be absent, for now at least, if the "pre-paid" SIM chip. In most countries with GSM service, a customer can buy a predetermined amount of calling time installed on a SIM chip that is inserted in a GSM phone. Once the minutes are used up, the chip is discarded or re-loaded with more minutes.

The pre-paid service is great for visitors to Costa Rica or those who don't want to sign up for a fixed plan or want to limit the amount they call, similar to the international calling cards 199 or 197 now on the market.