by Rod Hughes
A way to make cell phone service better and cheaper came from a surprising source last week. The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) is normally associated with rate hikes on utilities, buses and other public services but last week the agency suggested that pre-paid cell phone service is the way to get the country out of its telecommunications stone age.
The current cell phone system operated by the government monopoly ICE now bills at the end of the month for the number of minutes talked. The pre-paid system would allow them to buy a card for a set number of minutes on a 30, 45 or 60-day basis, reported The Tico Times reporter Amanda Roberson last week.
The latter plan could turn out cheaper for the user, depending on how talkative the customer is. ARESEP estimates that the average client pays about 8,150 colones ($15.67 U.S.) per month. The agency suggest that the user could talk the same number of minutes for only 2,500 colones ($4.80 at 8 U.S. centrs per minute.) They would pay less than one U.S. cent per text message.
Especially benefitted would be those with limited budgets and tourists who would not have to set up an account, ARESEP’s Carolina Mora points out.
Currently, those who want cell phones have to wait months for lines. ICE is studying the proposal and will hold public hearings starting Sept. 11. Special GSM lines would be needed for the service and ICE intends to include some in the next batch of 300,000 lines it will make available. The pre-paid system is used elsewhere in the world, including some Latin American countries.