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ICE told to get on the ball and offer pre-paid cell service
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The regulator general is telling the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad to get on the ball and install pre-paid cell telephone service.

The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos came out with cheaper rates for pre-paid cell phones Tuesday even though the institute, known as ICE, never requested them.

Fernando Herrero, the head of the price-setting agency, said the whole world except Costa Rica has prepaid services and the service would help tourists, students and small business operators.

He said he envisioned the sale of a chip that could be inserted into any cell telephone to provide a specific period of service, perhaps as much as 60 days.

ICE has had trouble even keeping up with the demand for traditional cell telephone service. However, Herrero said that the acquisition of 300,000 more cell phone lines by the end of the year would let the company offer the service.
The agency set the prepaid price of 2,500 colons (4.81) for 30 days and 10,000 colons ($19.23) for 45 days. The owner of the telephone would be charged by the call so that the value of the phone might be exhausted sooner. A regular cell phone carries a charge of 8,150 colons a month ($15.67).

ICE now has various types of phone cards for public telephones.

Herrero cited a news story in The Economist which said that such telephones contribute to the economic development of a country.

Costa Rica has a telephone for 58 out of 100 persons, about average for the world but well below the more than 100 percent coverage of the most developed nations, said Herrero.

The tariffs established by the regulating agency also would apply to any other telephone company that wished to set up business here. Right now ICE has a monopoly, but the free trade treaty would allow competition for wireless services.

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[url=http://www.amishrakefight.org/gfy/]

This is good news...I hope the plan is executed expeditiously as the article suggest. I don't use a cell phone in the States, but in Costa Rica, I would consider it a necessity.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

What will be happen first, the highway to Jaco will be finished or CR will have pre-paid cell phone service?

I vote for neither will happen.

So cynical Orange. You must have faith!!

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[url=http://www.amishrakefight.org/gfy/]

It would be nice to get buy a sim for $5 for a whole trip.

There is the positive that I was looking for.

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[url=http://www.amishrakefight.org/gfy/]

Great idea !

Before everyone gets to excited you need to understand that The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos has absolutely no authority to force theInstituto Costarricense de Electricidad to offer such a service. They can set the price to be charged and thats about it.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine