Even though demand continues to grow, operators are not able to grow due to lack of effective competition in the mobile market and delays in the allocation of spectrum.
A portion of customers in the cellular market and other telecommunications services such as internet and cable television are still dissatisfied, but telecommunications companies are not able to increase their services due to the slow rate at which the rules are set and at which infrastructure problems are addressed.
In Costa Rica "... there are mobile operators who did not go through a public tender process, who do not pay for the frequencies they use, and who do not have any coverage obligations ..."
"We are talking about public property which five years ago, when the Telecommunications Act was passed, had a low profile and was largely unregulated," noted an article in Elfinancierocrc.om.
Five years after the fall of the monopoly, there are more companies, more users and a greater array of services on offer, with growth of 45% in the sector's contribution to GDP.
According to data reported by telecommunications companies to the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel), the sector's contribution to the economy has grown by 45% over the past five years.
The Government is considering a possible tender for a new radio frequency block that would provide fourth-generation mobile services.
Alejandro Cruz, Minister of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (Micitt), asked the Sutel to define the future of the 70 MHz block not auctioned in 2011, when Telefonica and Claro were awarded frequencies. These companies have shown interest in having more spectrum to expand the supply of fast mobile Internet services.
Telecoms companies in Costa Rica demand the abolition of a decree which allows the government to award contracts without bidding in the National Telecommunications Fund.
According to the Chamber of Information and Technology this could cause market distortions and they warn that the decree could have implications and consequences of possible violations of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA).
Costa Rica’s Chamber of Information and Communication Technologies has urged the government to speed up the opening of the market.
According to Román Fallas, president of the Chamber, the market has not been properly opened and the process demonstrates “a lack of political coordination” between the Environment Ministry, the regulator (SUTEL) and the current state-owned electricity and telecommunications provider (ICE).