ICE TO Offer GSM Lines
In Two Weeks, One Month
Early
The Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) said
it wants to take
advantage of the
Christmas shopping spree
and will offer 300.000
GSM cellular lines by
mid month instead of
January as it had
earlier announced.
The institution said it
will begin offering the
lines on December 15,
instead of mid January
2008, first to those
already on the waiting
list and then on a first
come first served basis.
So far 25.000 are on the
waiting list and will be
served first, said
Claudio Bermúdez,
subgerente de
Telecomunicaciones del
Instituto.
The 300.000 lines are an
expansion of the
Ericsson contract that
installed 600.000
cellular lines in 2006.
ICE had the option to
add an additional
200.000 cellular lines,
expanding the Alcatel
contract, however it
chose not to do do given
the charges of
corruption surrounding
the original.
With the installation of
the 300.000 lines, Costa
Rica will have 43 lines
for every 100
inhabitants, according
to statements by
Bermúdez last August, up
from the current 38.
In addition, ICE is
working on plans to add
1.5 million cellular
lines of the third
generation technology
known as 3G sometime in
the next 18 to 24
months. The move,
according to ICE
officials is to meet the
demands of Costa Ricans
and to prepare for
competition with the
implementation of the
Tratado de Libre
Comercio (TLC) - free
trade agreement with the
United States.
ICE is the only provided
of telephone services in
Costa Rica, both in
fixed lines and cellular
service.
Subscribers to cellular
service must have a
cedula and pay a ¢12.500
colones security deposit
(us$25). Non residents
and visitors to Costa
Rica cannot subscribe to
cellular service. |
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