by Rod Hughes

Maybe if people are made to wait too long, they lose interest. Despite ICE receptionists being braced for a flood of seekers of cell phone lines, only 2,686 showed up yesterday to obtain their coveted new GPS lines, La Nacion reported today.

ICE, the telecommunications monopoly, has a capacity to put 10,000 ;ines in action per day. Of 343,000 lines, some 30,000 are not reserved, the paper reported.

ICE spokesman Elbert Duran confirmed that only a third of the expected number showed up yesterday. Ticos have taken to cell phones in a big way and are perhaps one of the talkiest cultures in Latin America. Some 600,000 GSM lines have been in action since 2005 and another half million of the TDMA technology are in action, as well.