Costa Rica telecommunications

Fiber-optic internet lines in Costa Rica grew 146% between June 2019 and June 2020, according to a new report from the Superintendence of Telecommunications (SUTEL).

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced rolling interruptions of phone, Internet and cable services this week in five provinces. Find out if/when it will affect you.

A Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) to pay ₡500,000 ($945) to two of its customers for a lack of signal that prevented them from seeking help after a traffic accident three years ago. The plaintiffs say the amount awarded is far too little.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, on Monday evening ordered the Telecommunications Superintendency (SUTEL) to conduct a new study on current mobile market conditions that is up-to-date and includes all of the country’s three carriers.

National Restoration Party lawmaker Fabricio Alvarado this week launched a social media campaign asking mobile phone users to post a message with the hashtag #modoavioncr every time they have problems making a call, sending an SMS or using mobile Internet.

Amid a national debate over a proposed change in mobile Internet rates, a study released this week shows that rate plans from state-owned carrier Kölbi, part of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), are generally less expensive than competing plans with similar features.

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, scheduled a hearing on Thursday at 9 a.m. for advocates and opponents of a proposed change in mobile Internet rates, originally scheduled to take effect last month.

President Luis Guillermo Solís has asked Guy de Teramond, a former minister of science and technology and one of the pioneers of the Internet in Costa Rica, and Alonso Castro, director of the University of Costa Rica’s Informatics Center, to help him draft an official recommendation regarding a proposed new model for pricing mobile Internet usage.

The Telecommunications Superintendency (SUTEL) on July 1 will hold a public hearing to propose a change in the way carriers charge for mobile Internet services. But angry customers are getting ready to fight back.