As of Wednesday, the ICE will make available 5,000 TDMA lines.  "Many clients prefer the TDMA phones, because it is a mature network with excellent coverage ", claimed Orlando Cascante, Mobile Services Manager for ICE.  He estimated that the lines would only last fo 2 weeks.  GSM lines are still plentiful. 

In order to get a line, you must take a copy of your identification, your identification, and a current bill for a public service to verify your address. You also must take a copy of your receipt for the purchase of the device (and the original).  The deposit is 12,500 colones. Also you will need the identification number of the beneficiary of the line.

Note: currently only legal residents and costa ricans may purchase a cell line - some expats form corporations - which of course are costa ricans - that own the line to get around this.  Soon ICE will be offering prepaid SIM chips, which will be sold to foreigners and will work with an unlocked GSM phone compatible with the network.

Multinationals like Hewlett Packard, Intel, Procter & Gamble, Baxter, IBM, Credomatic, Coca Cola, Pepsi, TACA and Sykes will have stands from Wednesday through Saturday at the Universidad Latina, in San Pedro, during a job fair. Local companies like OTEC, Dos Pinos and Grupo Nación will also be present, the fair starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m.