As of July 23 the Amnet brand will give way to TIGO, owned by Millicom International Cellular S.A.
Under the name Tigo, the operator will handle Internet services, cable television and home telephone lines, the company announced in a news release.
An article in Nacion.com quotes Richard Lamb, Marketing Manager of Tigo Costa Rica, who said, "The makeover is part of a corporate strategy that was created when Millicom acquired Amnet’s operations in Central America. Now it is our turn to change."
The company is awaiting authorities to assign the numbers in order to begin marketing.
Raul Ibanez, manager of Amnet Costa Rica, said that for international calls the company promises improved rates and for calls between Amnet residential users the price will be minimal.
"With this new service we want to consolidate our leadership in the country by being the first company to offer three services: broadband internet, digital television and telephone " Ibanez told Nacion.com.
Starting this week the company will offer its own Internet connection service, after years of carrying Racsa’s service through its cable network.
Both companies, Amnet and Radiografica Costarricense S.A. (Racsa), landed an agreement under which each customer will decide with which company they want to stay.
From Elfinancierocr.com: “Amnet was authorized as a telecommunications operator in mid-2009… it was acquired by Millicom in July 2008”.
Since June, the company is offering data services and corporate Internet for companies.
For now, the service will only be available for corporate customers located in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM).
"This investment was done in two phases. Firstly, $1.5 million were invested in optic fiber network infrastructure", reports Nacion.com. "... an additional $2 million will be spent in the next 10 months to extend the coverage to 65% of the country...".
The Superintendent of Telecommunications of Costa Rica estimates that it will deliver the first licenses to operate in the market in July.
The period specified by the Telecommunications Superitendent (Sutel) is consistent with the terms of the General Telecommunications Law, and it contemplates a resolution of all the objections to the admission of the different businesses presented by the Costa Rican Institute of Telecommunications (ICE) and RACSA.
These two companies, along with WorldCom, are the first three to request authorization from Sutel to offer telecommunications services.
Mercedes Aguero writes in an article on Nacion.com: "According to the new law which regulates the telecommunications sector, any company that offers services for which they receive payment must have the approval of Sutel.
The Swedish firm Millicom has purchased the telecommunications company AMNET for 510 million dollars, and will acquire its 350,000 cable clients in Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
AMNET offers services of cable television, telephone and internet as a multimedia "Triple Play" package.
The company has the biggest fiber optics network in the region and is the largest cable company in El Salvador and Costa Rica.