ICE Delivers
25% of Text Messages Late
Didn't you get my message? No, "mae", I
didn't, is the response as one in four text
messages sent over the Instituto
Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) cellular
telephone network arrives late. Hours late.
The key behind the instant messaging is
"instant". However, for the ICE network
instant can mean up to 36 hours.
ICE officials say that the delays are
usually due to a saturation of the network
as the system cannot handle effectively the
large volume of data being transmitted, the
equipment sending the overflow to a queue
which then delivers the message as the
demand diminishes.
Well, at least that is the explanation by
the sole provider of cellular service in
Costa Rica as it fails to deliver, on time,
at least 25% of the messages.
Typically SMS (Short Message Service) are
supposed to be sent instantly on the first
try with an average delivery time of four
seconds.
Adolfo Arias, director de Servicios de
Telecomunicaciones del ICE, explained that
if the cellular phone is turned off or
outside the coverage area, the system
automatically stores the message for
delivery at a later time and thus the delay
in message sending.
However, experience tells a different story.
Many ICE customers complain of not having
received a message or receiving it hours
later, even the next day, even though they
never turn off their cellular phone or have
not been outside the network coverage area.
ICE says that, on average, Costa Ricans send
490 text messages per second, while the
system can handle up to 1.350 messages per
second.
The big delay days are Valentine's Day,
Mother's Day and Christmas, according to ICE
figures.
Many prefer to send a text message instead
of a phone call due to is popularity
andimpersonality of text messaging and its
low cost.
A typical cellular phone call can cost the
user ¢30 colones per minute during the day
and ¢23 at night. However, a text message
only costs ¢1.5 colones and with no
emotional attachment, as the message is
delivered in the emotionless space and time
of digital technology.
ICE figures show that 89% of all text
messages are sent between people, 3.3% are
by the system advising of a message and the
rest for commercial messages.
During the 2008 Christmas/New Year's period,
ICE delivered some 30 million messages
daily.
Messaging by the numbers:
- 23 million text messages are delivered
daily in Costa Rica
- the cost of each text message is ¢1.5
colones
- 89% of text messages are person to person
- the maximum number of characters that can
be sent in each message is 160
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PDAs,
Smartphones, Blackberrys, the iPhone have
made text messaging popular, as messages can
no be sent impersonally and at a lower cost
than making a phone call. It is much
easier to tell a significant other that the
relationship is off by sending a text
message, than having to face the personal
emotion of calling the relationship quits.
Tacky, but, this is the new age! |
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