Costa Rica’s took a first step at opening the market for Internet services by allowing the company Amnet to have direct access to the submarine cable “Maya 1.”  Maya 1 one of Costa Rica’s main international connections.  Amnet is the first company that Sutel (or the government body that regulates telecommunications in the country) has allowed to have such access.  Amnet has actually been operating in the country for some time, but it formerly had to offer its services in connection with an agreement with Racsa, which is the government run arm that up until now has enjoyed sole access to Maya 1.  Customers of Amnet were thus treated with two bills each month, one from Amnet and another from Racsa.  Raúl Ibáñex, Amnet director, stated that the authorization to connect to Maya 1 marks a new era in Internet access in Costa Rica.  In addition, Sutel authorized seven cable companies in various areas of the country to begin offering television access in competition with Amnet.  However, so far Amnet only has access to Maya 1.

Link to Article in La Nación

After delays going back to the year 2002, when the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) first began the project of installing a broad-band network accessible to the entire country, it appears that the goal is near completion.  The network will consist of 6 network rings of fiber-optic cable located in various zones that will enable the entire country to get on line.  This network will bring a new level of service to homes and businesses, including broadband access, wireless access, dedicated lines and virtual networks.  This new level of service is seen as vital to tourism, IT, agro-industry and banking in rural zones of the country.  The project began in 2002 and had an initial completion date of September 2007, but was later delayed until December of 2008.  Further delays stemming from logistical problems, inadequate supplies and equipment and weather related issues have delayed completion until some time the first quarter of 2009.  In all the project will see the installation of 1,155 kilometers of fiber-optic cable.