If the proposal put forward by the Superintendence of Telecommunications is successful, the rates for telephony and mobile internet will be free of regulation.
The proposal to declare effective competition in the mobile phone market will put to public consultation for the next 15 days.
In the tender for 70 MHz of frequencies for telephone and mobile telephone and Internet services in Costa Rica, Claro paid $19 million for three blocks of frequencies and Movistar $24 million for four blocks.
In the against the clock auction, in a single round, the Telecommunications Superintendence (Sutel) sold the 70 MHz that had been left idle since the first radio spectrum contest was held in 2011.
For the third time the date for submitting bids in the 70 MHz tender for the radio spectrum for international mobile technology services has been postponed.
For the third time, the deadline has been changed for submitting the proposals, after the operators interested in thetender filed appeals and objections against the tender conditions.
If the Sutel's proposal is approved, on December Costa Rica will eliminate the tariff regulation for the international telephone, internet and postpaid cellular telephony markets.
From a statement issued by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel):
The Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel), has started a process of public consultation of the technical analysis of the telecommunications markets.
The only countries in America where mobile phone prices are still regulated are El Salvador and Costa Rica. It is no coincidence that these countries are among the last in the rankings for speed of mobile internet services.
EDITORIAL
And it is no coincidence that these two countries also suffer from the existence of the heaviest controlling bureaucracies in the Central American isthmus, with clear consequences for the slow adaptation to changes experienced by the global economy, particularly globalization.
A tender has been launched in Costa Rica of the use and operation of 70 MHz of radio spectrum to be used to deploy international mobile technology.
Costa RicaGovernment Purchase 2016LI-000002-SUTEL:
"Through means of this public tender, concessionswill be granted, through an auction process, for up to seven (7) blocks of 5 MHz (2x5 MHz) with coverage throughout the territory of the Republic of Costa Rica, as described:
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After a reduction in 2015, mobile phone penetration grew again in 2016, registering a total of 156 lines per 100 inhabitants.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications:
Costa Rica has experienced a trend of increasing penetration of mobile telephony in the last decade. According to figures from the Vice Ministry of Telecommunications, in 2006, 33 cell phone lines were registered per 100 inhabitants, however by 2015 there were a total of 156 recorded lines per 100 inhabitants.
After a five years wait, the Telecommunications Authority has received an order to award unused radio spectrum frequencies.
From a publication in the official newspaper La Gaceta on Tuesday February 9, 2016:
Executive Decree No. 354-2015-Tel-Micitt, the Second Vice President of the Republic in exercise of the Presidency of the Republic and the Minister of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, agree:
The Superintendency of Telecommunications has now been given approval to hold the contest of 70 MHz for mobile telephony, which had been on hold since 2011.
Four years after the last allocation of frequencies, the Ministry of Telecommunications has given authorization to proceed with a public auction, in which it is expected that Claro and Telefonica will take part but not the state run power company as it already has a larger number of frequencies than private operators.
45 more days have been granted for operators of frequencies assigned temporarily under the previous legislation to formalize the award and move to other bands in order to allocate current telecommunications services.
The proposal to extend the term given by the Department of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (Micitt) aims to complete the transition of broadcasters who have not yet formalized concessions under the new legislation.
According to confidential documents made public by a legislator, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad has lost hundreds of thousands of customers in recent months.
An article on Crhoy.com reports that "... The telecommunications sector of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) has lost about 200 thousand customers in May t to June his year. This is stated in a series of documents published by Deputy Jorge Arguedas, corresponding to the entity's financial status and customers. "
The new Vice Minister said they are waiting for two more studies before deciding how and when to tender the unused radio spectrum that mobile operators have waited so long for.
Although the former deputy minister said that the frequencies would be tendered at the beginning of this year, his controversial departure from the Ministry and the arrival of his replacement will further delay the process.
Caps imposed by the Superintendency on tariffs for telecommunications services restrict competition by preventing operators from offering more expensive packages to more affluent segments.
The telecommunications industry is requesting the freeing up of rates with the aim of letting the market itself be responsible for setting them, with oversight by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel).
The information presented by the Telecommunications Authority does not allow consumers to compare the quality offered by different operators.
Data published by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel) through a virtual map on its website does not specify in detail the quality of the calls, and the coverage of operators in specific parts of the country.