Although Samsung and Apple mobile phones represent more than half of the devices used in the region's markets, there is an upward trend in the preference for devices from the Chinese brand Huawei.
An analysis of the Trade Intelligence Area at CentralAmericaData provides interesting data on the use and preference of cell phone brands in the region.
From April 1st the operator Claro will starts the new 4G mobile network service.
The phone company Claro has announced that from 1 April it will start its 4G LTE mobile network service. At the moment the company is carrying out the final tests for implementation of the service.
"The coverage area includes the sectors of La Ururca, Heredia, Escazu and Santa Ana."
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) awarded ITS the Internet TV bid which had previously been awarded to Huawei.
According to the article published in elfinancierocr.com, the project had been awarded to the Chinese company Huawei on January 23 because it made the lowest bid ($15.5 million).
The article then stated: "The recommendation to award the award of the bid to ITS (ITS Servicios de Infocomunicación SA) was sent to the bids area of the ICE's supply director last March 13. This bid has a cost of $26 million."
The Comptroller’s Office of the Republic ordered ICE to analyze if the price offered by Huawei Technologies would permit it to comply with the contract.
Esteban Oviedo in an article of Nacion.com writes: "The controlling institution revised the order passed last Monday, when they annulled the awarding of the contract to the Chinese company. This happened after the business lowered its initial price and offered a discount of almost 40% (of $3.7 million).
The Comptroller’s Office rejected the awarding of a total of 2.5 million prepaid lines for cellular and land line telephone systems, granted to the Chinese Huawei Technologies.
Vanessa Loaiza in her article in Nacion.com writes: "The news was transmitted at the end of the afternoon in electronic version in the newspaper El Financiero. According to this medium, the rejection was given because Huawei initially offered a total of $10.1 million for the pre-paid lines and then later applied a discount that left its offer at $6.4 million."
Chinese business has accumulated a total of $266 million in contracts with the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).
With very aggressive pricing policies, Huawei has positioned itself in Costa Rica as the leader in the provision of networks and cellular telephone systems. This leadership position enhances its ability to obtain bids currently under way, such as for the 200 radio bases that ICE needs to acquire.
China's Huawei was chosen by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad to execute the $235 million contract for 950.000 3G mobile phone lines.
This was reported by elfinancierocr.com, whose article states that "This network would be installed through 2009 and would imply an increase in the number of mobile phones per inhabitant of up to 65%, reported Claudio Bermúdez, ICE's vice director of communications".
The prepaid telephone service that was assigned to Ericcson for $12.2 million was canceled due to an appeal by Huawei Technologies.
The Costa Rica Institute of Electricity (ICE), the regulatory organ for telecommunications in the country, granted the contract to Ericcson Costa Rica last July that will allow the company to market 2.5 million prepaid fixed and cellular lines.
Up to now no telecom company will guarantee their participation in the new tender.
Multinational firms allege that the tender offers no legal or financial security.
Three companies have asked the Office of the Comptroller to fix these problems.
This is the second time that several firms have challenged the process for the purchase of the 3G network.
The second tender process for the 3G network will be launched this week after the failure of the first process.
If there are no more setbacks, the Costa Rica Institute of Electricity (ICE) will make changes to the tender in order to encourage more companies to participate.
The new tender will be published today in the Gazette, said Pedro Pablo Quiros, executive president of ICE.
The Costa Rica Institute of Electricity (ICE) confirmed yesterday that it has rejected Huawei Technologies' offer for 1.5 million 3G cellular lines.
The offer was too expensive and did not meet coverage requirements, declared Pedro Pablo Quirós, president of ICE.
Only Huawei participated in the bidding for this contract. Another four telephone companies refrained from participating alleging that the process lacked clarity.
ICE (Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) will continue to study the sole offer, by Huawei, to install 1.5 million third generation (3G) cellular lines in the country.
The Institute rejected a letter from President Oscar Arias, who requested that they hold a new tender process so that more companies can take part.
Pedro Pablo Quirós, president of ICE, responded to the president that they will not backpedal on the tender process because the evaluation of the sole offer "has already begun and continues intensively."
Costa Rica's monopoly GSM network operator, ICE, has decided not to accept a sole bid from China's Huawei for the supply of a 3G network.
The company has come under political pressure from the Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias to reject the contract, and will consider retendering the contract.
Both Nokia and ZTE withdrew from the tender process and Huawei's own bid was roughly double the estimate that ICE had proposed.
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