In Costa Rica a tender is being launched for the implementation of 100 MB of wireless internet access in parks, plazas, train stations and other public spaces.
$45 million will be invested in the project, and the aim is to connect 985 wireless access points in 360 districts of the country's 82 cantons, including 62 public libraries, 28 train stations and 7 civic centers for peace.The delivery of offers is scheduled for November 2017.Seedetails of the tender.
A plan is being worked on in Costa Rica to implement a broadband internet network for 2,500 educational centers in different areas of the country.
The proposal which is being worked on by the government and Fonatel is in the planning stage, and aims to develop a broadband internet network with different speeds and capacities, which would be defined according to the number of users in each educational center.
The Superintendency of Telecommunications has announced a competition to provide voice and fixed internet services in 6 areas in the Huetar Atlantic Region, for a projected amount of $20 million.
From a statement issued by the Superintendency of Telecommunications:
A tender is being launched for projects to bring internet and fixed phone services to 18 vulnerable districts in the Atlantic Region.
In Costa Rica contracts have been awarded to the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad and Claro to provide telephony and broadband Internet services in six cantons in the south of the country.
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) will be responsible for developing projects in Buenos Aires, Osa, Corredores, Coto Brus and Golfito. Meanwhile Claro de Costa Rica is in charge of projects in the area of Perez Zeledon.
With resources from the National Telecommunications Fund the infrastructure required to provide services in the north of the country will be built.
The municipalities of San Carlos, Los Chiles, Guatuso and Upala have signed an agreement to expedite the process needed to be completed by the telecommunications companies Claro and Movistar in order to install base stations and to provide Internet service in the area.
Claro, Movistar and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad are competing for a contract for telecommunications services in isolated communities.
These three operators submitted bids in a contest sponsored by the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Sutel) to provide telecommunications services to residents of the communities of La Lidia, La Curia and Aguas Fría in the district of Roxana de Pococí in Limon.
Costa Rica has $216 million to spend in bringing telephony and internet services to areas with no communication, a situation that causes clashes between the President and the Telecommunications Superintendency.
President Chinchilla asked the telecommunications regulator in Costa Rica (SUTEL), to award the projects to bring internet services to schools to the state telecommunications company (ICE) without a bidding process.
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 National Telecommunications Fund plans to develop seven projects in the areas of education, social welfare, health and homes, which will feature, for the first time, internet and telephone services.
According to the Telecommunications Superintendency (Sutel), there are a total of 477 schools, 78 colleges, 155 Ebais (health centres), 25 Cecis and 70 CEN- CINAI which will be connected with a speed of 4 megabytes.
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).
The multitude of paperwork and the Fondo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones are the obstacles preventing major progress in implementing fast internet services in Costa Rica.
"There is a significant increase (according to preliminary reports) in the number of broadband internet connections. This is despite the fact that there have been delays in major projects for the country and which could make us progress faster," said Rowland Espinoza, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications.
An announcement has been made in Costa Rica for a tender for a project to give rural communities mobile and fixed telephone coverage, with funding from the National Telecommunications Fund.
The National Telecommunications Fund (Fonatel) is endowed with payments for operating licenses awarded to telecom operators such as Claro and Movistar, and currently has $190 million to be used to promote access to quality, timely, efficient, affordable and competitive telecommunications services, for the inhabitants of areas of the country where the cost of investment for the installation and maintenance of infrastructure for the provision of these services is not financially profitable.
Institutions and leading companies in Costa Rica are planning to run for the position of administrator of the National Telecommunications Fund.
Some 25 entities or organizations have shown interest in the project to implement the National Telecommunications Fund (Fonatel) which has funds of $180 million.
Some of the stakeholders are: Deloitte & Touche, Ernst &Young, Fundación Comisión Asesora en Alta Tecnología (Caatec), Fundación Costa Rica-Estados Unidos (Crusa), Fundación para la Investigación de la Universidad de Costa Rica (Fundevi) and Microsoft. The complete list can be found on the website of the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) at www.sutel.go.cr, reports Nacion.com.
The National Bank of Costa Rica (Banco Nacional) has been chosen to administer the resources of the National Telecommunications Fund (Fonatel).
Four state banks submitted bids for setting up a trust to administer and manage projects and programs to be run with the Fonatel resources. After careful analysis the National Bank of Costa Rica was selected.
The Board of Directors of the Public Services Regulatory Authorities approved the first three set of rules to regulate the telecommunication sector with the context of an open market.
The rules will come into effect once they are published in the Gazette on Friday October 17.
The approved rules are the following:
Regulations for universal access, universal service and solidarity.
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