subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12.7 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 741,269
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19.32 (2019 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 8,550,243
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 169.59 (2019 est.)
total subscriptions: 5,599,005
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 145.92 (2019 est.)
Internet country code
.cr
.pa
Internet users
total: 3,694,974
percent of population: 74.09% (July 2018 est.)
total: 2,199,433
percent of population: 57.87% (July 2018 est.)
Telecommunication systems
general assessment:
Costa Rica has broad telecom coverage though geographical distribution of digital service is unequal; recent regulator liberalization spurred expansion in all sectors; broadband market is the most advanced and highest penetration in Central America yet lags behind many South American countries; operators investing in NGN technology; number portability and cheaper broadband costs will increase competition; government aims to subsidize tele-health and e-learning (2021)
(2018)
domestic: 13 per 100 fixed-line, 162 per 100 mobile-cellular; point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available (2019)
international: country code - 506; landing points for the ARCOS-1, MAYA-1, and the PAC submarine cables that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
general assessment:
domestic and international facilities well-developed; steady increase in telecom revenue with effective competition; mobile connections account for 90% of connections; government-funded program to improve Internet infrastructure; connectivity through two submarine cables; launch of LTE services; Chinese company Huawei investment in bandwidth technologies; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021)
(2020)
domestic: fixed-line 17 per 100 and rapid subscribership of mobile-cellular telephone 132 per 100 (2019)
international: country code - 507; landing points for the PAN-AM, ARCOS, SAC, AURORA, PCCS, PAC, and the MAYA-1 submarine cable systems that together provide links to the US and parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 904,734
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17.95 (2019 est.)
total: 523,530
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13.64 (2019 est.)
Broadcast media
multiple privately owned TV stations and 1 publicly owned TV station; cable network services are widely available; more than 100 privately owned radio stations and a public radio network (2017)
multiple privately owned TV networks and a government-owned educational TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; more than 100 commercial radio stations (2019)
