Expo Welcomes Telecom Competition

Costa Rica’s newly opened telecommunication market was on display last week as 40 national and global companies participated in Expo-Telecom at the Hotel Real InterContinental in Escazú, west of San José.

The event, organized by the Octametro company, was as a meet-and-greet experience for telecoms and visiting executives and was designed to broaden industry networks and encourage potential commercial relationships. The three-day event included speeches and seminars conducted by several international telecom experts and representatives, as well as exhibitions and presentations from the local companies.

The hosting of the Expo-Telecom was a well-timed move on the part of Octametro.

Over the past six months, several companies have gained approval to compete in the Costa Rican telecom market, which was opened to competition this year. The approval of the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) dissolved the long-standing staterun monopoly held by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).

“The opening of the telecommunications market has been responsible and organized, which is what we promised to the country of Costa Rica,” said President Oscar Arias, who opened the Expo-Telecom with a speech Wednesday morning.

“I have no doubt that this will be the first of many exchanges for the market, which will bring immense opportunities to contribute not only to the economic development of Costa Rica, but also to human development.”

Expo-Telecom also held a virtual job fair that encouraged applicants interested in a career in telecom to send in their resumes online. As of Thursday, the organizers said they had received 14,000 online resumes.

–Adam Williams