COSTA RICA NEWS — 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 mobile 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. The state projects raising $70 million from the award of available spectrum.
Deputy Minister of Telecommunications, Allan Ruiz told Elfinancierocr.com that “… In 2009 the Telecommunications gave a very convincing study that said that four players were needed. Almost two years ago the Sutel was asked: ‘given how the market has advanced in recent years, shouldnt we update the report on whether or not there should be a fourth player?’, but the response was not overwhelming. ”
In regards to sweetening the offer he added “… An offer with more Mhz available in different segments of the spectrum is more attractive, but officials from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications are the ones who along with the President will decide whether including them is a good idea. You have to make an assessment of opportunity and convenience in terms of timeframes. ”
Source: El Financiero
