Cell Phone Service in Costa Rica
Traveler Information
Cell Phone system explained and recommendations
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which phones works where!
 Visitors to Costa Rica often ask if their cell phones from their home country will work here. Cellular phones from Europe will often work here, but I have no idea of the roaming charges. The systems are the same, but be aware of service issues if using GSM.
Cell phones from the USA generally do not work here and when they do, service is crummy as they are GSM phones. More important, roaming charges can easily run to $4.00 per minute. I'd suggest calling your carrier, but the feedback I get is that even the customer service personnel often have no idea what are the charges. You find out when you get the bill! I recommend that if you need reliable communications here in Costa Rica, rent from a cell rental company actually IN Costa Rica as they know what works where and can handle service issues or other problems. Be VERY wary of renting phones from companies who mail them to you at your home or business in your home country! First, they have no way of testing the phones before they mail them to you as they are usually in the same country as you are! A Costa Rica phone cannot be tested in the USA for example. Further, they could be damaged in transit regardless of the service used to ship them and again, you will not know until you arrive. That means it is possible that you could get off the plane with a phone that does not work. Finally, should you have a cell phone problem while in Costa Rica, there is no easy way to assist you! For satellite phone info, click here.
Important: Some folks ask me if they can just buy a phone here with a number installed. Sadly, no. While anyone can buy and own a cell phone in Costa Rica, only
a legal resident with ID or cedula can purchase a cell phone line i.e. a phone number. A phone with no line is also
known as a paperweight. There IS a way around this, though
not cheap. A corporation in Costa Rica is considered to be a citizen and thus
may own the line. Therefore, if you are
opening a business or perhaps buying property that will be held
in a corporation, the corporation can then own the line. This presumes that there are lines available, but as of this writing, there are not. Recently, a pre-paid SIM can be purchased at the San José airport BUT that means you again must use the GSM system here which often does not work well.
Cell
phones are extremely popular here in Costa Rica. Nearly everyone
has one and generally they work well, especially the TDMA system. Service is also very cheap at just over $7.00 per month. Probably one of the
reasons that everyone has a cellphone is that it is difficult and
sometimes impossible to obtain home phone service, so this is their
only solution.
There are TWO cell phone systems in use: TDMA and GSM.
TDMA is often referred here as the "old technology" and GSM as the
new technology. The difference is fairly technical, but in
short, GSM phones have Internet access and should work better
than the older TDMA phones. Sadly, they do not. Costa
Rican Allan Rojas has written a really accurate review of GSM in
his blog. I also wrote
a review of the GSM system in the Real Costa Rica Blog. Updates about the cell system here are somewhat frequent, so for a link to all blog posts on Costa Rica cell phone usage, click here.
TDMA phones, even with the old technology generally work much
better. When the French company Alcatel installed the GSM
system, it simply did not provide the coverage area necessary.
In fact, I can't even use a GSM phone from my home located midway
between San José and the international airport (SJO). Very common is receiving a message that "there is no (GSM) service available, try your call later (in Spanish of course!). Often calls just do not go through.
Now saying that, there are a few places in Costa Rica (Dominical
comes to mind) where GSM phones will work great and the TDMA phones
do not. Therefore, if you are renting a cell phone while visiting
Costa Rica, it is best you let your rental company know where you
will be staying.
NOTE: Many cell rental companies ONLY
rent GSM phones. This is especially true of car rental companies.
As the GSM system is generally substandard, you should insist on
TDMA phone You can usually know it is TDMA,, but not always, because the phone number begins with a "83". This, of course, unless you are spending nearly all your time in the few locations where GSM works better!
OK so now you know that TDMA is best and works, but now the phone company monopoly (ICE) has announced that in 2009, it will begin phase out of the TDMA system over a 2-3 year period.
This is an astonishingly stupid decision as 1. The TDMA system actually works, and 2. The GSM system is still faulty and often unusable, and 3. cell phones are not cheap here running hundreds of dollars (and GSM phones are MUCH pricier!) so to require maybe 500,000 Ticos to buy new phones is tragic. A $300.00 new phone to many Tico families is a major expense.
Buying a Cell Phone and Line in Costa Rica
You should go to any ICE authorized cell phone dealer. You
will need:
- Your cedula, carnet or other proof of Legal Residency ***
- A current bill from your home address from the electric
company
- Money :)
*** Important! Only citizens and LEGAL residents of Costa Rica may own a phone line (number). Anyone can buy a phone, but to get a phone number for that phone, you MUST be a resident or citizen.
If in your company name, you will also need
- A Personería (a document prepared
by your attorney. (Must be less than 30 days old)
- Your corporate cedula.
- Your passport or cedula
- A current bill from your home address from the electric
company (may be required)
Costa Rica corporations are considered as citizens.
This will be sufficient to get the phone and a line, but to add
services such as International Calling, you will need to either
visit ICE personally, or FAX your request, together with all the
same documents above to the ICE office you wish to use.
Note: Few, if any, of the ICE employees speak English in
the offices. Phone support in English is available.
Note the new GSM voicemail system is NOT available in English. While you can leave your message in English, the voicemail systems and all prompts will be in Spanish.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Cell
Phones
How can I tell what type of cell phone I have? GSM or TDMA?
Can I bring my phone from the US and use it there?
Is there cell service all over Costa Rica?
Where is there cellular service?
What about satellite phones?
What is the availability of phone lines to buy?
I am a resident. Can I just go to a cell store
and buy a phone and line?
I am moving to Costa Rica. Can I bring my
cell phone with me?
So what can a new resident do if they can't get a
line?
How can I tell what I have? GSM or
TDMA?
TDMA phone numbers always begin with a '83'
and GSM numbers began with an 8'8' or a '89'.
However, starting in July-August 2006, ICE is now assigning some
GSM phones with an 83 number as well i.e.8 3xx-xxxx and with an 89.
With this change, the only way to know is to ask.
Back to FAQ
Can I bring my phone from the US and use
it there?
You can bring it, but probably it won't work. Recently
though, a few phones (GSM) have worked here, BUT the travelers were
shocked to find a roaming charge of up to $5.00 per minute on their
bills! Also, as the only phones from the USA or other countries that will work at all are GSM, and
because in general GSM phones have terrible service in Costa Rica,
it is often better to just rent a cell phone for a visit. Some
cell phone rental companies offer line rental plans for those permanently
moving or who will be here for many months but who do not have residency.
If renting, do NOT rent a satellite phone or a cell phone from your home country! First, satellite service here is not great and second, non Costa Rica companies have no idea what works here and what does not. Further, if the phone has problems, you can get no local assistance.
Back to FAQ
Is there cell service all over Costa Rica?
No. About 75-80% of Costa Rica has cell service. There is no reliable coverage map available.
Remote, mountainous, rainforest, and distant locations will likely
not have service. Most heavily trafficked tourist areas will
have normal service. Here are a few I know and my experience
at those locations. No comment means good service.
I personally carry both a TDMA and a GSM phone.
- San José
- San Pedro
- Cartago
- Tamarindo
- Playas del Coco - Both
- Playa Hermosa (northwest) TDMA GSM spotty
- Liberia
- Cañas - TDMA - GSM ok
- Dominical (crummy for TDMA, but South it worked fine)
Use GSM phones in Dominical!
- Golfito
- Osa Peninsula - generally spotty service
- Tortuguero - good
- Los Suenos Resort - NO cell phone coverage whatever
- Tilaron -
- Flamingo - Both OK
- Tamarindo - good for both systems
- Arenal Volcano - Good everywhere
- Most of the central valley Use TDMA as GSM works
poorly in many areas
- Puerto Limon - Both, but out of the town of Puerto Limon, service can get spotty
- Puerto Viejo TDMA works in town but gets spotty very fast
as you get out of central
- Puntarenas All Good
- Pavones - TDMA works spottily. GSM unknown
- Cuidad Quesada (aka San Carlos) both systems
- Jacó - TDMA and GSM
- Quepos - Mostly OK, but dead spots for both
- Manuel Antonio (spotty) Call ahead to the location
- Monteverde (parts are spotty but generally good. Town
itself is fine)
- Guapiles - Both systems work
- Nosara - TDMA works but not well. Use GSM here
- Samara - TDMA works but not well. Use GSM here
- Mal Pais, Guanacaste - TDMA workes fine and GSM phones worked
OK as well..
- La Paz Waterfall Resort - popular tourist spot with NO coverage whatsoever.
This is no means a complete list. It is only places I personally
have visited and KNOW a cellular phone will work
Back to FAQ
What about satellite phones?
Besides being expensive to use, you generally must be line-of-site to
the satellite. As the satellite is in low orbit here, that
can be a problem as mountains and trees can interfere. Generally,
stay away from satellite phones.
Back to FAQ
What is the availability of phone lines
to buy?
Currently, GSM lines are available. TDMA
lines may be available. This changes from month to month. I just cannot update this all the time, so your best
bet is to contact ICE.
Back to FAQ
I am a resident. can I just go to a
cell store and buy a phone and line?
Yes.... but!... First you must be a legal resident, eg you must HAVE your cedula and not just to have applied for residency. Second. not all stores can or do sell lines.
Once you have it, it will only work within Costa Rica. No calls out of CR. All cell phones can receive international calls. To add international calling, you must go to ICE (Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad). At ICE, you can request international
calling be added to your phone. ICE handles all matters of telecommunication
in Costa Rica as of now. It is a monopoly. This is presuming of
course that there are phones lines available! Competition may be available in the future do to passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but as of 201, it is not. Check the BLOG for updates.
Back to FAQ
I am moving to Costa Rica. Can I bring
my cell phone with me?
Sure and it might be able to be made to work here, BUT, unless
you are leaving the USA forever, I always suggest you just buy one
here for the local service and support. Use the old one when
you return to the US for visits. Some US cell companies allow
you to suspend service. If you convert it, you'll pay just
less than a new phone and will have no warranty.
If you bring it, remember that you will have to see if it is
on the ICE list of approved phones, then you will need to pay someone
to convert it, then you will have no warranty in either country.
Why bother?
Some cell phone rental companies offer long term cell phone rental plans at vastly reduced rate. These are great for frequent visitors, students, folks newly moved here, or frequent business travelers. Click here to visit one of them that does offer long term rental plans.
Back to FAQ
So what can a new resident do if they can't
get a line?
There are companies here that have long term rental plans that
can save you a ton of money.
Here is one.
Back to FAQ |
