Amnet And
Racsa Getting Ready To Divorce
Cable television and internet provider Amnet
is expected to divorce itself from the state
internet provider, the Radiográfica
Costarricenses S. A. (Racsa), after 10 years
of working together. The divorce is to allow
Amnet to provide its 55.000 customers, who
are now joined with Racsa, internet services
directly.
The separation is moving fast with the
approval of Amnet as the first private
company to offer internet services
independent of Racsa.
Mario Zanotti, director of Amnet Latin
America, said that the company will be
developing its own network and connect
customers directly.
Currenlty, Ament and Cable Tica, provide
internet services provided by Racsa over
their cable system. Customers have to sign
two contracts (one with the cable opeator
and one with Racsa and pay two bills
separately to continue to receive service),
sharing revenue 50/50.
Zanotti said that Amnet, for the time being,
will continue to need the services of the
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
(ICE) (Racsa's parent company) to provide
space on the Limón and Parrita submarine
cables.
The Amnet - Racsa marriage began in 1999 and
ends at the ends of this year, in time for
the end of the telecommunications monopoly
in the country.
Most important is that service to customers
won't be interrupted while the two companies
make the necessary changes.
Last year the Ley General de
Telecommunicaciones effectively broke the 60
year ICE monopoly on telephone and internet
services in Costa Rica and with the creation
of the regulatory body, the Superintendencia
de Telecommunicaciones (SUTEL), private
operators can apply to offer telecom
services in competition to ICE.
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