Comments on: ICE to Discontinue TDMA Cell Phones in 2009 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/ The Blog for Travelers, Retirees, Expats and anyone who needs to know the REAL Costa Rica. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: paulEwog http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-16486 paulEwog Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:59:00 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-16486 Hola. Actually, I don't know more than a few words of Spanish which is proving to be real challenge with my cell phone in Costa Rica. I do have a new GSM phone. According to this article a GSM phone cannot have the voice mail menus in English. This is controversial as the Executive Director of the largest title company in Costa Rica who I use “sent a messenger to I.C.E.” and they told her how to program her phone to English. However, it didn't work Then, she personally referred me to the manager of Scotiabank in Guanacaste to open an account; his phone on the GSM network is in English! Although his Spanish and English are both perfect, he wants his phone in Spanish and I want mine in English. I just don't understand this. I worked in the telecom industry for over 15 years both in mobile telecom and I also worked in the C.O. (central office) where all the switching equipment is housed. I have worked on both the old analog and the digital switches and I can assure you all that is necessary to put a menu in ENGLISH is a few keystrokes on a computer at the switch. IF I.C.E. told the messenger sent to ICE by the Executive Director of the largest title company in Costa Rica obviously this can be done. Perhaps the messenger forgot one step, that’s why he is a messenger and speaks only Spanish and the Executive Director speaks impeccable English and Spanish. She was been God sent for me and she continues to assist me in getting settled in Costa Rica. If you notice in the United States ALL of the cellular carriers provide both English and Spanish speaking users to have a choice. In fact, have you ever called ANY U.S. business? I'm sure you have and the first thing you hear is "press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish" or a similar order. Apparently Spanish is slowly phasing out the English language (and the American population) in the United States. The United States sees to be very accommodating to every single country in the world, in case you haven't noticed. Hola. Actually, I don’t know more than a few words of Spanish which is proving to be real challenge with my cell phone in Costa Rica.

I do have a new GSM phone. According to this article a GSM phone cannot have the voice mail menus in English.

This is controversial as the Executive Director of the largest title company in Costa Rica who I use “sent a messenger to I.C.E.” and they told her how to program her phone to English. However, it didn’t work

Then, she personally referred me to the manager of Scotiabank in Guanacaste to open an account; his phone on the GSM network is in English! Although his Spanish and English are both perfect, he wants his phone in Spanish and I want mine in English. I just don’t understand this.

I worked in the telecom industry for over 15 years both in mobile telecom and I also worked in the C.O. (central office) where all the switching equipment is housed. I have worked on both the old analog and the digital switches and I can assure you all that is necessary to put a menu in ENGLISH is a few keystrokes on a computer at the switch.

IF I.C.E. told the messenger sent to ICE by the Executive Director of the largest title company in Costa Rica obviously this can be done. Perhaps the messenger forgot one step, that’s why he is a messenger and speaks only Spanish and the Executive Director speaks impeccable English and Spanish. She was been God sent for me and she continues to assist me in getting settled in Costa Rica.

If you notice in the United States ALL of the cellular carriers provide both English and Spanish speaking users to have a choice. In fact, have you ever called ANY U.S. business? I’m sure you have and the first thing you hear is “press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish” or a similar order.
Apparently Spanish is slowly phasing out the English language (and the American population) in the United States.

The United States sees to be very accommodating to every single country in the world, in case you haven’t noticed.

]]> By: andres http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-13321 andres Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:30:20 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-13321 Great article, you couldnt have said it better! I am costarican myself, and the ICE Monopoly (all telecommunications) is absolutely a joke. GSM is complete garbage. No reception at home, no reception at work, no reception at the beach house, no reception even in my local ICE branche, no mms, no reliable or fast internet, blackberry or smartphone support?? yeah right, I could go on and on and on and on and on... And if that wasnt enough, there are no GSM or TDMA lines available. This means that if I want a cell phone right now, well Im basically screwed. It has been this way for the last 8 months, ridiculous right? Every now and then they release a new batch of lines which dont meet then demand for even a week. Sorry for my rambling, but this ICE Monopoly is a joke for a country that is trying to escape from a third world... The situation does look better in the mid/long run however, as the free trade agreement with the US is about to be approved by the current government, and one of its key points is to open the telco monopoly. Great article, you couldnt have said it better! I am costarican myself, and the ICE Monopoly (all telecommunications) is absolutely a joke. GSM is complete garbage.
No reception at home, no reception at work, no reception at the beach house, no reception even in my local ICE branche, no mms, no reliable or fast internet, blackberry or smartphone support?? yeah right, I could go on and on and on and on and on…

And if that wasnt enough, there are no GSM or TDMA lines available. This means that if I want a cell phone right now, well Im basically screwed. It has been this way for the last 8 months, ridiculous right? Every now and then they release a new batch of lines which dont meet then demand for even a week.

Sorry for my rambling, but this ICE Monopoly is a joke for a country that is trying to escape from a third world…

The situation does look better in the mid/long run however, as the free trade agreement with the US is about to be approved by the current government, and one of its key points is to open the telco monopoly.

]]> By: Girlblue http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-13283 Girlblue Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:40:40 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-13283 Oh I know exactly the type of pain you're going through right now. We switched from TDMA to GSM about three maybe four years ago and it was a pain, everyone held onto their TDMA phones until the very last minute. GSM works but you have to have a lot of cell towers up and running. I worked for a year on a team that had to set up these cell towers here and it was very difficult to get town and country planning as well as many other things. People are willing to lease their land out but others are worried about the radiation and caused a stink. We finally have it working to the point that there are fewer dropped calls actually hardly any at all. It helped a lot that another company came in from the outside and gave our company hell. Competition is indeed a good thing in some instances. Oh I know exactly the type of pain you’re going through right now. We switched from TDMA to GSM about three maybe four years ago and it was a pain, everyone held onto their TDMA phones until the very last minute. GSM works but you have to have a lot of cell towers up and running. I worked for a year on a team that had to set up these cell towers here and it was very difficult to get town and country planning as well as many other things. People are willing to lease their land out but others are worried about the radiation and caused a stink. We finally have it working to the point that there are fewer dropped calls actually hardly any at all. It helped a lot that another company came in from the outside and gave our company hell. Competition is indeed a good thing in some instances.

]]> By: Julie http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-13099 Julie Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:54:29 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-13099 Hi Tim - We bought a basic GSM cell phone in Costa Rica last year for just under $60 - very basic, but worked. We were able to set the outgoing voice mail message (of course) after making out way through the maze of voice mail options in Spanish. Not too terrible if you are accustomed to voice mail options and understand *some* Spanish - I am not yet an expert... I had heard that another company (don't ask me the name) had a contract to add/fix GSM service, so GSM coverage was increasing. Julie Hi Tim -
We bought a basic GSM cell phone in Costa Rica last year for just under $60 – very basic, but worked.
We were able to set the outgoing voice mail message (of course) after making out way through the maze of voice mail options in Spanish. Not too terrible if you are accustomed to voice mail options and understand *some* Spanish – I am not yet an expert…
I had heard that another company (don’t ask me the name) had a contract to add/fix GSM service, so GSM coverage was increasing.
Julie

]]> By: Tim http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-13091 Tim Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:39:18 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-13091 Naive? No... but boy will YOU have some serious adjusting to do if you think a government monopoly would have a vision! You must work in a bank or large corporation! :) Vision? In Costa Rica? Sorry sir... ain't happenin' here. As for the mañana thing... that is Mexico, not Costa Rica. Naive? No… but boy will YOU have some serious adjusting to do if you think a government monopoly would have a vision! You must work in a bank or large corporation! :)

Vision? In Costa Rica? Sorry sir… ain’t happenin’ here.

As for the mañana thing… that is Mexico, not Costa Rica.

]]> By: Andy Browne http://blog.therealcostarica.com/2008/06/15/ice-to-discontinue-tdma-cell-phones-in-2009/comment-page-1/#comment-13089 Andy Browne Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:03:42 +0000 http://blog.therealcostarica.com/?p=293#comment-13089 I am an American who will be moving to CR in abour 12 months. Due diligence currently underway. After reading this article about TDMA vs GSM phones, perhaps it my naiveity, but what is ICE's vision for country-wide communications? Do they even care? Or is this more of the mañana mentality I have been told to be on the look out for? I am an American who will be moving to CR in abour 12 months. Due diligence currently underway. After reading this article about TDMA vs GSM phones, perhaps it my naiveity, but what is ICE’s vision for country-wide communications? Do they even care? Or is this more of the mañana mentality I have been told to be on the look out for?

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