The Costa Rica state telecom company is moving away from the purpose that justifies its existence and is impeding the exercise of the popular will in terms of the cellular market opening up.
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), after using every piece of legal chicanery imaginable to prevent the implementation of number portability, is now simply saying "I WONT SIGN", citing technical insolvency as its reason for not integrating the system that allows users to migrate from one cellular communication provider to another, while keeping their phone number.
The Costa Rican regulator has prevented telephone companies Telefónica and ICE from agreeing on tariffs for end users within a contract for interconnecting their networks.
The company Claro filed a complaint to the Superindendency of Telecommunications (Sutel), which stated that the access and interconnection agreement signed between the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and Telefónica, contained clauses where both companies agreed not to charge prices below the cost of services provided, considering the interconnection charges as a cost common to both.
The regulatory body has not yet approved the tariffs for interconnection with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad.
The Telecommunications Superintendence (Sutel) published in the official newspaper the changes to the terms and conditions of the bid process but does not provide for Interconnection Reference Offer (IRO).
"The chairman of Sutel, George Miley, said the IRO will be ready at least 15 days before the 14th of December, date in which offers will be received. That deadline is Nov. 22nd," according to Nacion.com.
Costa Rica committed to open its telecom market before February 5 when it signed DR-CAFTA.
A report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which analyzed telecommunications compliance, requested Costa Rica to urgently complete the opening process.
George Miley, president of the Costa Rican Telecommunications Superintendence, explained that the bidding rules were ready in December, but in order to continue the process, the Environment Ministry must still deliver the microwave frequencies. Such frequencies are used to send cellular signals between towers and linking them to the systems of each of the telecomm providers.