Internet connection via cell phone has been available in Costa Rica for one week now, and at least 5,416 people have signed up for this new service, according to Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) spokeswoman Adriana Víquez.
ICE, the country's state-run telecommunications monopoly, sees this number as a “very good sign,” Víquez said, explaining that the institute expected few people to visit its offices to sign up for this service last week, given that it was the first week back to work and school for most people after the Easter holidays.
For a flat fee of ¢3,500 (about $7) per month, users of ICE-approved models of GSM cell phones can activate them to connect to the Internet or use them as modems to provide Internet service to a computer or another handheld device, Víquez explained. (A list of compatible GSM phones, as well as more information about Internet cell phone service, is available on ICE's Web site, www.grupoice.com.)
Using wireless application protocol (WAP) technology, this new service creates a “fusion of two technologies – Internet and phone,” Víquez said.
Users can connect to the Internet anywhere they have cell phone service. The downsides are a slower connection (42 kilobytes per second) than is available with computers and a smaller screen, meaning some images cannot be displayed, though this depends on each phone, she said.
WAP and general packet radio service (GPRS) technologies are used to connect cell phones to the Internet and simplify images for their screens, Víquez said.
Those interested in signing up for Internet cell phone service can call 115 for more information, but ICE recommends visiting one of its agencies to sign up. They should bring their identification cards proving Costa Rican residency, as well as their cell phones, so that technicians can make sure they are compatible and activate the WAP function. |
| 
| Exchange Rates
