Costa Rican telecoms watchdog the Superintendency of Telecommunications (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones, Sutel) has opened to public consultation a proposal to declare the nation’s mobile market as competitive.
If greenlit, the move will remove certain restrictions on cellcos, allowing providers greater flexibility to introduce new tariffs, offers and services. Sutel notes that its studies have provided sufficient evidence to determine that none of the country’s mobile operators have any special technological advantages or other conditions which influence the price of services.
The regulator added that not only are prices already far beneath its tariff cap, but prices are steadily falling, citing a 19% reduction in the average price paid by customers for mobile data between 2014 and 2016 and a 17% decrease in the price of calls between 2010 and 2016. The consultation is open for 15 working days.