A new communications tower on the Hacienda Matapalo site not only emphasizes Costa Rica's technology growth, but will benefit future residents of the property, handling both cellular phone calls and wireless Internet.
Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) February 23, 2010 -- A new communications tower on the Hacienda Matapalo site not only emphasizes Costa Rica's technology growth, but will benefit future residents of the property, handling both cellular phone calls and wireless Internet.
 There’s nothing quite like receiving a call in a rain forest when civilization seems to be the furthest thing from your mind. 
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Perhaps if you asked that question a few years ago, the answer would be a resounding and crackling “No.” But, for future residents of Hacienda Matapalo the answer to “Can you hear me now?” will be a loud and clear “Si!” as a new communications tower was recently installed on the property.
In recent years communications in Costa Rica have undergone tremendous changes, and the transformation has been for the better. Sparked by the country’s technological growth and advancements, cell phone reception has improved as the demand for more phones has increased. In 2007 cell phone customers surpassed traditional telephone users by nearly 700,000; 1.5 to 1.437 million. Because of the increase, new towers, such as the one erected on the Hacienda Matapalo site, are being installed across the country to meet the demand, especially for 3G services which are now available throughout Costa Rica.
The growth rate has been so explosive, thanks in part to the increase in Americans and Canadians who have purchased real estate in Costa Rica, that in 2009 the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) – the government agency that had operated and controlled all communications in Costa Rica for many years – abdicated much of its authority to the newly-formed Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel), which became responsible for approving and regulating competition in telecommunications.
With a pledge by the Costa Rican government to increase its cell phone coverage and with a single agency no longer having a stronghold over communications, private companies were allowed to come into the market; their competition helping to upgrade the country’s communications infrastructure.
“For those who question the government’s commitment, a simple horseback ride on the trails at Hacienda Matapalo should convince cell phone users otherwise,” said Ed Sklar, Hacienda Matapalo’s chief operations officer. “There’s nothing quite like receiving a call in a rain forest when civilization seems to be the furthest thing from your mind. This wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago. The new tower will make calls in the area easier to make and receive.”
While the Costa Rica government states on one of their Web sites that only citizens and permanent residents are supposed to own telephones, in reality land lines are easily attainable. All one has to do is show an electric bill in their name to get a land line.
As for cell phones, that’s a little harder, although the privatization of telecommunications is making it easier. Many U.S.-based telephone companies have made arrangements with the Costa Rican government to enable their service to work in Costa Rica and additionally, there are several companies that rent or lease cellular telephones. Most of the major car rental companies also rent cell phones.
Cell phones are not the only technology that is impacting Costa Rica. There are now more than 1.5 million Internet users in the country and because the information age is booming in the land of Pura Vida, high speed Internet is now becoming commonplace. While Quepos has had high speed DSL for some time, ICE has begun expanding its broadband coverage southward across the Southern Pacific Coast, and the coverage area includes Hacienda Matapalo. According to CNN en Español, The Latin Business Chronicle ranks Costa Rica as second highest Latin American country in technological advancements due to their high Internet penetration. The new communications tower at Hacienda Matapalo handles Internet surfing for Wi-Fi users. Internet service in Costa Rica is provided by several companies, both public and private. For a list of companies and their Web sites, visit http://haciendamatapalo.com/communications.htm.
Cost
The cost of maintaining a DSL Internet line in Costa Rica is about $38 USD a month. While the fee can vary depending on which Internet service provider is used, phone service in Costa Rica is not only consistent, but reliable and inexpensive. Home phone service averages about $3.80 USD a month based on 60 minutes of use with additional minutes billed at $0.013 each. Monthly cell phone bills can run from $10 USD to $20 USD depending on usage. However, there is a catch. For those who make a lot of international calls back to the U.S. or Canada, the charges can add up.
Traditionally, long distance rates ran anywhere from $0.45 USD to $0.90 USD per minute depending on the country being called. But competition is forcing rates to fall and some people have chosen to use callback services that save them money. Once considered illegal because it seemingly defrauded the Costa Rican government of revenue, free trade has enabled some companies to use a technology where U.S. based computers place conference calls between callers and third parties.
Another trend in combating high long distance costs is the advent of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Previously blocked in Costa Rica, ICE has begun allowing VoIP which requires broadband connections like DSL to be used in order to make and receive quality calls. While there are many services available, one of the most popular and fastest growing service is Skype, which enables users to make or receive calls from their SkypeIn number from anywhere in the world.
Another VoIP service is magicJack, which allows users to make virtually unlimited calls from their personal computer. For about $20 USD a year, users can enjoy having a telephone number with their home area code, and as long as their computer is turned on and they are connected to the Net through a broadband modem, they can receive calls anywhere in the world. The hardware, which is about the size of a cigarette lighter and plugs into a USB port, is ready to use in minutes. “We use magicJack at our Hacienda Matapalo offices in Costa Rica,” said Keith Blackburn sales associate at the Hacienda Matapalo office in Quepos. “Features like voicemail and automatic message notification by email come in handy.”
To learn more about Skype and magicJack, visit http://haciendamatapalo.com/communications.htm.
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[Via Legal / Law]
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