Saturday 15 November
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Finally A Price Drop We
Can Begin To Live With
Prepaid Cellular
Service Coming Soon, "Veremos" On New
Lines
Ticos Less Hopeful
Of Economic Future
India To Become A
High Grade Coffee Importer
Betancourt's Ex-Husband Is New French
Ambassador to Costa Rica
|
Prepaid Cellular Service
Coming Soon, "Veremos"
On New Lines
Some 5.000 cellular
service subscribers will
be part of a pilot plan
by the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) to
introduce "prepaid"
cellular service in the
country. Costa Rica is
one of the few, if not
the only country in the
world, that does not
offer prepaid cellular
service.
According to ICE, the
plan is to test the
platform while it waits
to purchase more
cellular telephone lines
to be able to introduce
the service to one and
all.
ICE spokesperson,
Elberth Durán, explained
that the group of
customers for the pilot
plan were chosen from a
set criteria by the
institution, based on
their consumer habits.
The pilot plan being
introduced by ICE, which
goes into effect next
Wednesday, is a little
different that prepaid
service in other
countries.
ICE customers, who are
already subscribers to
cellular service, can
choose to set the limit
of their usage by
purchasing a set amount
ahead of the use. In
this way customers can
control their cellular
service costs and not be
surprised with a big
usage bill at the end of
the month.
Prepaid service in most
other countries is
different in that a
customer walks into a
cellular service
provider, buys a SIM
chip for their GSM of 3G
service with a set
amount, installs it in
their equipment and then
can recharge the service
in set increments,
depending on their need
and usage.
As to the introduction
of some 300.000 new GSM
lines in December as
announced last week,
Durán said the plan is
on "veremos" (we will
see).
The reason for the
possible delay is that
ICE is still negotiation
the purchase of the
lines from the Ericcson
company that is one of
the two GSM network
providers in the
country.
Durán explained that
"certain complications
in the financial world
has forced ICE to
rethink its strategy."
The ICE official said
that the idea was to
purchase the 300.000
lines for December, but
more likely only 100.000
will be purchased now
and the other 200.000 in
the beginning of 2009.
ICE, without the need
for a new tender, can
purchase from Ericsson
the 300.000 lines, one
half of the 600.000
original installation.
Durán added that
anything to the
contrary, ICE will be
looking at other options
to satisfy the demand.
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