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.
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:
In an attempt to reduce costs and improve the use of resources devoted to the subject, a bill proposes integrating into a single institution the organizations dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship.
The aim of the bill is for the current bodies DIGEPYME, INAPYME, PRONAMYPE, FODEMIPYME, PROPYME and CONICIT to be integrated into a single entity and a with single fund to maximize resources, reduce paperwork and costs.
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.
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.
The essential modernization of technical and administrative rules governing the sector is being hampered by the proposed inclusion of rules to control content.
EDITORIAL
The vaudeville act (from the Royal Spanish Academy: frivolous, light and spicy comedy based around intrigue and misunderstandings) presented and represented by the government of Costa Rica, regarding the development and "socialization" of the proposed new Telecommunications Act , has produced as its first result t a leaderless Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (Micitt).
The government aims to update the $6 a year license for concessionaires of radio and television frequencies which has been in effect since 1954, while employers fear a reallocation of spectrum.
The draft bill proposes an increase in the rates for radio and television based on the number of frequencies held by the concessionaire, the type of coverage, the use to be given and the type of diffusion, national or rural.
In a "Solomonic" decision, the Ministry of Finance has decided to settle the dispute between CompraRed and Merlink, ordering the development of a new platform, giving the moribund state telecom company RACSA something to do.
EDITORIAL
With the introduction of the yet to be developed Integrated Public Procurement System (SICOP by its initials in Spanish), an end could be given to the bitter struggle between different groups of state officials and private providers over "their" respective public procurement systems.
Up until December 26th public consultation will be carried out on the national telecommunications plan 2015-2021 proposed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT):
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), pursuant to the provisions of the regulations governing the telecommunications sector, reports that the proposed National Development Telecommunications Plan 2015-2021 (PNDT) is under Public Consultation.
The government has confirmed that the auction of the remaining 70 MHz of spectrum in 2015 will be only among the three current telecommunications operators.
In the end the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (Micitt) announced that the auction of radio spectrum of 70MHz in early 2015, which aims to strengthen the current market, will be launched without the involvement of a fourth operator, as was originally considered.
Although in Costa Rica the convenience of the de-monopolization of the communications has been demonstrated, there is still resistance on the part of the government to allowing more operators to enter the market.
The market entry of a fourth mobile phone operator and thickening of the offer with 40Mhz are the two factors that are being studied before a call is made for bids which had been scheduled for the first months of 2015.
While there is a clear need for a long term, consistent and sustained policy in Costa Rica, corporate and business interests are staging a war which is impeding the development of the Digital Government.
Editorial
An article on Crhoy.com highlights the main concepts dealt with in a recent eLAC forum (Building inclusive and innovative digital societies in Latin America and the Caribbean), and reviews the current status of Costa Rica's digital agenda, which currently has as its central theme a long conflict between state agencies over which Government procurement system should prevail, and which of these departments should rule on the issue.
The tender scheduled for the second half of the year includes a block of 40 MHz from the 1800 MHz band and a 30 MHz from the bands 1900/2100 MHz
After being canceled in late April by the Chinchilla administration, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Communications has decided to restart the project and is analysing how the bidding process will be structured.
The second tender planned for this year which would have allowed the entry of a fourth company into the phone market will not be completed.
According to the executive power, who took the decision to suspend the tender, there is not enough information available because the technical report of the Telecommunications Authority is "inconclusive" and contains figures which are out of date.
A recommendation has been given to accelerate the launch of new tenders for frequencies in order to develop next-generation services such as 4G LTE networks.
A study by the company Signals Telecom Consulting reveals that telephone companies must have more space in the spectrum in order to adjust their operations to accommodate smartphones and meet the demand for fast speeds for mobile internet browsing.
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