by Rod Hughes

Within a little more than a year, a million land lines and 1.5 million cell phones will have eight digits, reported Costa Rica’s leading daily today. All phones currently have seven except for the 911 emergency number

The country only has one area code (506) so, to accommodate the proliferation of lines and especially cell phones, the measure will go into effect March 20, 2008, said the daily, quoting the country’s communications monopoly, the Costa Rican Electrical Institute (ICE, the acronym in Spanish).

Cell phone numbers will begin with the digit 8, an ICE spokesperson told La Nacion. Cell phones have multiplied especially fast in this country, despite reports of problems in many areas served by the French international company ALCATEL.