Costa Rica Cell Phone Companys Come to Panama to Learn

Telecom officials pay a visit to Panamá to check out cell systems in that country

Special to A.M. Costa Rica


Panama’s telecom regulator received a delegation from its Costa Rican equivalent looking for advice on opening the market for cellular telephones, according to a press release from the Panamanian agency. The visitors were led by George Miley, general manager of Costa Rica’s Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones.

Technical matters relating to spectrum designation, regulation, interconnection costs, minimum rural coverage, and the implementation of all of these were discussed.
The report noted that Panama has more than one cell phone line per person whereas the Costa Rican system has only 40 percent coverage. “Panama is 10 years ahead of Costa Rica and, thanks to competition, has seen the results in terms of price and service quality,” said the press release. Costa Rica’s Superintendencia didn’t publicize the trip with as much enthusiasm.

The four companies active in Panama, Cable & Wireless, Digicel, Claro, and Telefónica, have all expressed interest in the Costa Rican market. The recent free trade treaty with Panama makes it relatively easy to come from there.