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TDMA Cellular Network To Be Phased Out In 2009
Inside Costa Rica

Good and bad news for cellular subscribers who have a TDMA line, as the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), said it will remove all TDMA lines from the market in 2009 and customers have to switch over to the GSM service. The reason for the change is that the TDMA technology is outdated and industry does not offer many options in maintenance and service of TDMA networks or telephone units.

ICE expects customers to start switching over to the GSM network beginning the middle of next year when ICE will have installed and operations 1.5 million new GSM lines known as 3G or third generation. The bad news is that unless ICE improves coverage in some area like southern zone, for example, where GSM service is poor and where TDMA has greater coverage, customers will suffer with the changeover.

The good news on the other hand, is that GSM offers more choices of equipment - telephones with cameras, mp3 players and smartphones with full browser capability - and with the introduction of the 3G network users can send and receive multimedia services, like video and television on their cellular phone.

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Hell, I know whole towns that can't get GSM, but do get TDMA... This will hurt ICE's pocketbook... I assume they'll do it with the same speed and efficiency that Ticos do everything else, so it probably won't go away until late 2020...