Archive for January 18th, 2010
Monday, January 18th, 2010
The opening of the telecommunications market continues and today Costa Rican gets one step closer to having competition in the cellular telephone service.
Today, beginning at 11am, the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL), will be holding a public hearing on the tender of radio frequencies to be used by competitors to the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), the country’s current sole cellular provider.
After today’s hearing, a presentation of the key bidders will be heard, which an evaluation and final recommendation will be made, though it is unlikely that the SUTEL will announce the winners of any bids today.
The Ley General de Telecommunicaciones passed in 2008 opened up the telecom sector to competitors for internet, cellular and fixed line telephone services that have been an ICE monopoly for decades.
The meeting is being held at the Intercontinental hotel in Escazú.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Despite the world economic crisis big players continue to invest in Costa Rica.
Plans call for the construction of a $280 million convention and fair center near San José Costa Rica. The proposed construction site will be across from the Hotel Herradura and be about 123,000 square meters in size. The complex will also house two hotels, stores, restaurants and a parking structure. The complex will be the largest of its kind in all of Latin America.
The world economic crisis has really had minimal impact here. Two new highways have been completed and upscale shopping centers like Avenida Escazú , a new stages of Multiplaza and Paseo de las Flores have been either built or expanded in the last couple of years. In addition more and more multinational companies like Amazon.com have set up shop in Costa Rica.
People thinking of living, retiring or investing here should take these recent events into consideration when deciding if Costa Rica is for them. Obviously, the continued growth mentioned above, the country’s stability, year-round spring-like weather, first-class medical care, incredible lifestyle and so much more will continue to make the country tops on then list of expat havens. No wonder more Americans live here per capita than any other country outside of the U.S.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
The new autopista a Caldera will be inaugurated on January 27th, one week before the national elections, Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias, announced in Puntarenas on Saturday.
“For the first time I made it here (Puntarenas) in 50 minutes by way of the new highway”, Arias told a crowd during a tour of the Pacific port town.
The section between Santa Ana and Orotina of the new San José – Caldera highway that is not yet open to the public, had been scheduled to be open in March, pushed up from the original June opening date when construction commenced two years ago.
However, advances in the work enable it open early.
President Arias called the new highway a “gift to Puntarenses”, saying that Costa Rica has waited almost 40 years for this highway to become a reality, for the port city to have easy and fast access to San José and vice-versa.
The new road allows travel between La Sabana on the west side of San José to Caldera, south of Puntarenas, in less than 45 minutes. Currently it takes between 90 and 120 minutes to make the same trip.
The savings in time is because the highway cuts through the mountains, eliminating the steep climbs and drops on the current routes, as well the slowdown in traffic caused by big trucks and buses.
The sections between San José and Santa Ana and Orotina and Caldera have been open since last year, remaining was the middle portion.
The cost of tolls to travel the 77 kilometers of the new highway, from end to end, is about ¢1.500 colones each way for passenger vehicles and motorcycles, more for heavy trucks and buses.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Aside from the Zapote in San José at the end of December, Palmares is the place to be in Janauary, as the first big festival of the year attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the country and some from outside as well.
However, the Palmares Festival is also a magnet for drunk drivers. And for the Policía de Tránsito have been hard at work to stop the practice of drinking and driving, that for many Costa Ricans, is almost a tradition.
This year the Policía de Tránsito report detaining 415 drivers who insisted on having one or more too many before getting behind the wheel of their vehicle.
Germán Marín, director of the Policía de Tránsito, said the drivers were taken to the jail cells of the Ministerio Público and their vehicles confiscated.
Marín said the majority of the drunk drivers were intercepted at the various spot checks set up around Palmares, while some others detected by the watchful eyes of the traffic officials.
In addition to the drunk drivers, Marín said that a number of drivers were fined for not having their drivers license or vehicle registration on hand, while others fined for not wearing their seatbelts and speeding.
The director did not provide the number of drivers fined, only to say that the firm hand and zero tolerance will continue until January 25, the last day of the Palmares Festival and that between 120 and 200 of his officers are on duty around the clock.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
