Don't Forge To Turn Off And On Your Cellular
Phone Tonight
As announced all week long the unification
of the two GSM cellular networks takes place
today and the Instituto Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) is asking all GSM
subscribers to turn off their cellular
phones and then turn them back on.
The action, according to ICE, is for the
cellular unit to register with the Ericsson
network, the only GSM network in Costa Rica
as of tomorrow.
ICE decided to completely eliminate the
original GSM network installed by Alcatel,
partly due to contractual problems between
ICE and the French telecommunications firm
and the lack of maintenance and upgrades.
The Ericsson network is much more advanced
and allows ICE to provide more mobile
services, like multimedia messaging (MMS).
The Ericsson network also provides more
security, as subscribers can, on the loss of
theft of their cellular phone, report it to
ICE which can then block permanently the
phone from being used in Costa Rica.
Although ICE has been planning and working
on the reunification of the system, a last
minute court challenge almost nixed the
plan.
The company Genie Card Seguridad appealed
the ICE decision to the Tribunal Contencioso
Administrativo de Goicoechea to stop the
reunification as it has not had sufficient
time to change its systems.
Genie uses a SIM card installed in a
tracking device to locate a vehicle
installed with their system. The Genie
system works on the Alcatel system and
cannot be turned off and on as ICE has
asked, putting in jeopardy some 300.000
Genie customers.
The company argued that it needed at least
90 days more to make the technical changes.
The Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo de
Goicoechea, however, sided with ICE,
accepting ICE's claim that it has provided
the company with sufficient time to make the
required changes.
The change
does not affect TDMA subscribers, as that
older cellular technology is on a completely
different platform. |
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ICE
is asking all GSM network subscribers today
to turn off their cellular phones and then
turn them back on.
This affects all brands and types of GSM
cellular phones, but not TDMA phones.
Although 99% of cellular phones will switch
over automatically with the off/on, some may
not.
If by tomorrow (Sunday) your cellular phone
does not work properly and you have followed
the off/on request, you will need to contact
an ICE agency or call 193 to obtain
technical information to get your cellular
phone working. |
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