ICE Finally Offers Cellular Internet Service
After almost a year that the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) announced that it would start to offer Servicio Internet Móvil (cellular internet service), Monday the service is finally available.

The state monopoly on telecommunications  finally allowed customers who are willing to pay ¢3.500 colones (us$6.75) per month could surf the internet on their browser ready cellular phones.

The connection is only available to 82.000 customers.

For over two years ICE had been providing internet cellular on their "plan piloto" (pilot plan) program, at no charge, until mid last year when it finally stopped the service.

By way of the GPRS technology, GSM phones and PDA's with web browser capability can access the internet over the cellular network.

A desktop or  laptop (portable) computer can be linked to a GSM phone to access the internet. The link can be wired or wireless by way of infrared of bluetooth technology allowing access to the internet anywhere there is cellular service. This expands mobile connections limited up to now to "hot spots".

The process to subscribe to the service is for customers have to visit an ICE agency with their cellular phone. ICE will not accept subscriptions by calling the 193 service, insisting that all subscriptions have to be done in person.

The reason for this requirement is that only "approved" phones operating with software meeting its standards can be connected to the network. 

ICE provides a list of approved phones that it meet its standards for connection. Interestingly, a number of high end cellular phones now on the market in Costa Rica, like the Motorola V3x, are not on the list.

Of course this service is only available to existing GSM cellular customers.