www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The last item in the 'features' section indicates that it does have SMS/MMS capability.

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

Yep, plain as day, just missed it. A great deal especially if you can do it at the Kolbi desk at the airport.

Well, I was in baggage claim about a month ago. Still the pokey little duty free store with no expansion taking place. Also, still just the little ICE desk near the rent-a-car desks.

I was in the departure area Sunday. Construction still taking place on the new passage to Immigration. (At a tico's pace.) These corridors are sorta outside of the windows facing the tarmac. Or, outside of the existing building. I imagine that the corridor will tie-in near the doorway entrance to the jetway and lead to some new stairs/ecscalator to Immigration.

Gracias, DonCarlos, for the posting the link to la Nación story.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

I do not believe the 3g is critical for the hinterlands, but I could be wrong; reason being the phone is also running at 850mhz, so you ought to be covered. (Too, I had an extensive text chat with ICE and was repeatedly told in text it worked just fine out in the bush....). Most CRT guys never leave a five block radius within gringo gulch land anyway!

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

No Steve, I can only speak from my own personal experience but others can chime in. I hang out in Quepos. GSM is fine, very occasionally quirky. But, I go to the beach at Manuel Antonio a few miles away, no GSM signal, ever. Pull out my 3G phone, boing, 3 bars. Well known in those parts.

That guy that published the on-line "Real Costa Rica" had an in depth town by town, area by area, analyis. Same conclusion on out of the metro area signal. So unless if you are only staying in SJ, if you can get a 3g phone, that would be smart.

Here is ICE's inter active coverage map of supposed signals in various parts of the country. I can tell you first hand it is not worth relying on. Even 3g is spotty once you get into the boonies.

http://www.grupoice.com/wps/portal/mapa_cobertura

I go to Londres 15 km east of Quepos daily when I am there. When I am not, I call there daily. GSM? Forget it. 3g? Ok but outside and maybe 50-70%; but forget inside, maybe 15 per cent but you'll get dropped half of those times, and I have brought a number of different 3g phones, including I phones, other smart phones, motorolas, samsungs, erickson, sony, all hit or miss in Londres. There map shows OK for gsm there, that's why I say the map is ICE bs.

GSM is 3g

3g stands for the generation. GSM is the technology used. For example in the states AT&T uses GSM as their 3g technology. Their 2g technology is called edge and 4g is LTE but all use GSM. Verizon uses CDMA technology but it is also 3g.

SanTe: i am no cell guru, and maybe it's a diff in terminology between here and there, but I think GSM is 2nd generation and not 3rd generation (3g). Maybe others can clarify, but see this article from a year ago published in Inside Costa Rica

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/20 ... 041401.htm

and also this techie article

http://www.differencebetween.net/techno ... sm-and-3g/


and if you look at the web page Steve1 linked above about the cheapie and not so cheapie phones you can get at Kolbi, they are described either as GSM or 3g.

You are confusing technology and generations. There are two main technologies; GSM and CDMA. Verizon uses CDMA technology and why their phones will not work in Costa Rica. You need a GSM phone for Costa Rica because that is the system they use there as does most of the world. The "3g" refers to the generation with each newer version being faster at data transfer. For instance, the original iPhone was a quad band GSM phone but only supported 2g or EDGE as it is called. The iPhone 3g came out the following year and was also a quad band GSM phone but supported 3g. The next generation is referred to as 4g or LTE but they are still using GSM technology.

Contrast this with Verizon. Verizon uses CDMA technology so none of their CDMA only phones will work in Costa Rica. However, when Apple came out with the iPhone 4 for Verizon it was a CDMA phone but they also added in the GSM radios and sim tray making it a "world phone".

I hope I explained it pretty clear.

I think you did, there are 2g and 3g GSM phones and now 4g in the states.

But apparently calling 2G GSM phones "GSM" has become common, as is calling 3G GSM phones "3g". So I should have posted that my 2G GSM phones didn't work in certain places, but my 3G GSM phones did.

It's confusing, and the author of the inside CR article also seemed to differentiate a GSM phone and a 3G. In any event, I'd highly recommend that people bring a 3G phone, not 2G.

Here's an article I quoted from the TheRealCostaRica over a year ago, don't have the link, but the author listed the areas where you needed 3g, don't know if the data is still valid.

"Is there cell service all over Costa Rica?
No. About 75-80% of Costa Rica has cell service. This number increases to 85% if 3G is used. There is no reliable coverage map available. Remote, mountainous, rainforest, and distant locations will likely not have service. Most heavily trafficked tourist areas will have normal service. Here are a few I know and my experience at those locations. No comment means good service. This is no means a complete list. It is only places I personally have visited and KNOW a cellular phone will work

■San José
â– San Pedro
â– Cart ago
â– Tamarindo
â– Playas del Coco - Both
â– Playa Hermosa (northwest) 3G
â– Liberia
■Cañas - 3G
â– Dominical Use 3G phones in Dominical!
â– Golfito
â– Osa Peninsula - generally spotty service but if anything works, 3G will.
â– Tortuguero - good
â– Los Suenos Resort - NO cell phone coverage whatever
â– Tilaron -
â– Flamingo - Both OK
â– Tamarindo -
â– Arenal Volcano - Good everywhere
â– Most of the central valley - 3G
â– Puerto Limon - Both, but out of the town of Puerto Limon, service can get spotty
â– Puerto Viejo 3G
â– Puntarenas All Good
â– Pavones - unknown but 3G if aanything
â– Cuidad Quesada (aka San Carlos)
■Jacó - 3G and maybe GSM
â– Quepos - 3G
â– Manuel Antonio (spotty) Call ahead to the location. Use 3G
â– Monteverde (parts are spotty but generally good. Town itself is fine)
â– Guapiles -
â– Nosara -3G only
â– Samara - 3G only
â– Mal Pais, Guanacaste -3G
â– La Paz Waterfall Resort - popular tourist spot with NO coverage whatsoever, even 3G

GSM is 1800 mghz not 850 (3g). The problem with GSM is not coverage, but network capacity. 3g is far superior in reducing dropped calls and "fast busy". I wouldn't own a GSM phone because the service is so unpredictable.

The evolution of the technology is:

Gen 1-TDMA (analog...discontinued)
Gen 2 -Edge (aka 2g)
Gen 3 - 3g
Gen 4 - LTE rumor has it we will have it here in CR early next year

I said in another thread that if you spend anytime in CR, you must make the move to MoviStar. 1000% superior to ICE in every way.

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

Has # portability hit CR yet?

Can you recharge on line or only with a CR bank acct?

https://www.grupoice.com/wps/portal/app ... rgaenlinea

Also, there is masterpago.com but you have to establish an account and send them a copy of your passport.

Portability is targeted for first quarter 2013, subject to tico time. I can understand a stud like u having your number out to so many chicas. It's hard o give that up

How many are RFM 'ing you, hmmmmm

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

here's the Masterpago info: http://www.masterpago.com/productos/indexprepago.aspx

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED