The Costa Rican telecoms regulator decided recently to issue 2 new Mobile Network Operator licenses in order to increase competition and In December, Costa Ricans will be able to choose between Kolbi (ICE), Movistar Telefonica (TEF) and Claro (America Movil). The mobile phone penetration from Costa Rica is under 65% so, in this way, the country could see some significant growth. Based on our research, we have identified that I.C.E. has agreed to 2 MVNO Companies which use, or will use its infrastructure.

Research: View a Brief Overview on the Costa Rica’s Telecommunications Overview, or visit the country Telecom Regulator; SUTEL, or resources at Aresep.

Costa Rica (+506)
I.C.E. Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad aka Kolbi
Movistar (Telefonica) Scheduled
Claro (America Movil) Scheduled

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Current Costa Rican MVNO/MVNE Companies

This is an updated and fairly comprehensive listing for MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in Costa Rica today. We have listed most known and Active Costa Rican MVNO/SP & ESP companies (where possible).

If you have updated information about the companies listed below, or are not listed then please use the following form.

View Category = Costa Rica, by using the following Resource, or alternatively view the Costa Rica’s RSS News Feed, or our Main Site Feed.

MVNO Listings

FullMóvil
FullMóvil is targeting young customers with prepaid plans and low rates. FullMóvil offer’s cellular service that will be managed entirely through our website. There will be no physical locations, no waiting in lines, and everything can be handled online or by calling our call center,” said Sebastian Haedo,
MVNO; Network: I.C.E.; Services: Prepaid; Status: Active – New – New 10-09-11

TuYo Móvil
Owned by Televisora de Costa Rica“/ Channel 7 of Costa Rica, this is the countries first MVNO. Teletica, formerly known as Televisora de Costa Rica S.A., is a Costa Rican television company, founded in 1958; it was the first television company in Costa Rica. It operates Teletica Canal 7 and Teletica Canal 33. It has mostly imported programming and it also handles a high production and distribution of original programs. It has mostly a family-oriented and general audience. It is also transmitted via satellite and high definition. Teletica, since 1991, holds the company CableTica, that includes cable TV and pay-per-view.
MVNO; Network: I.C.E.; Services: Prepaid; Status: Active – New 01-05-11

Virtualis
In March’11, ICE agreed with the consortium Virtualis (made up by retail stores of Monge Group and Casa Blanca) and it will become the second MVNO in Costa Rica. In 2009, Costa Rica decided to open competition to the telecommunications market led by ICE. As part of this process, Telefónica and América Móvil are expected to enter too.
Full MVNO; Network: I.C.E.; MVNE JSC Ingenium; Services: Pre+postpaid; Status: Scheduled

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Costa Rica Telecommunications Overview (Brief)

Costa Rica’s telecom industry is on the threshold of a sea change as it clambers to implement liberalisation of its Internet, VoIP, and mobile telephony markets. The shift is not an easy one. Of all Latin American countries, Costa Rica has possibly been the resistive to either the privatisation or liberalisation of its telecom sector. The telecom regulator, SUTEL, faces a challenging task.

The government company owned, the I.C.E. Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, and its subsidiary RACSA have been the monopoly providers of almost all telecom services in Costa Rica except for paid TV, for so many years. ICE allows for fixed and mobile telephony, ADSL access, and corporate solutions. RACSA offers broadband via cable modem and WiMax, Internet dial-up, WiFi, prepaid Internet cards, and corporate services such as Internet via satellite. Although the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) has attained better fixed lines coverage than any other operator from Latin America, it has demonstrated itself ineffective in the mobile telephony business, with month long time waiting lists for mobile services.

ICE has exposed the typical hesitation of any private officeholder towards competition, submitting protests against the issuing of authorisations, conking interconnection negotiations, and criticising most of the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) policies. In that, it has had the support of political forces antipathetic to foreign enterprise. As a result, the liberalisation process in Costa Rica has been noted by a blazing lack of cooperation and dialogue among parties.

The Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) began to issue authorisations in July 2009 to new companies concerned in providing Internet, VoIP, and corporate telecom service. It took an entirely year, even so, for Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) to sign interconnection contracts, and then only after the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) interference. The first alternative operators were finally interfaced in July 2010. By then, the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) had awarded 86 telecom authorisations.

Mobile telephony is anticipated to grow powerfully as soon as the market is opened to competition. The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) has made an effort to corner kick the market before other companies can lure potential subscribers away, but mobile incursion is still low in Costa Rica equated with other Latin American countries.

The Sala Constitucional (Constitutional Court) decided on 30 July 2010 that the government’s delay in opening the telecoms market to competition was tantamount to a breach of fundamental freedoms: ‘Based on the foregoing, the Constitutional Court concludes that the delay in opening verified telecommunications market has not only violated the right enshrined in Article 41 of the Constitution but also has affected the exercise and enjoyment of other fundamental rights such as freedom of choice of consumers as enshrined in Article 46, paragraph in fine constitutional right of access to new information technologies, the right to equality and the eradication of the digital divide (info-exclusion )-Article 33 of the Constitution-the right to access the internet through the interface that the user or consumer choice and free enterprise and trade.’ (paragraph 5 of the Judges’ Considerations in the original Judgment No 10-13141-0007-C, 2010-1279)

In a press release on 8 September 2010, Teofilo de la Torre, Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Telecommunications, said the judgment would oblige the government to revise the national plans of telecoms development, since there is currently no obligation to provide for universal access of the service.
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This Page was last updated on the 1st of June, 2011.