Basics
There are 3 network providers on the air in Costa Rica:
- I.C.E., with its prepaid product called kölbi (state owned)
- Movistar (Spanish owned by Telefónica)
- Claro (Mexican owned by América Móvil)
Since 2012 first MVNOs have started. The most successful of them called TuYo Móvil is featured. Others like Fullmóvil don't offer good data packages up to now.
According to OpenSignal's country report compiled in 2016, Movistar has the best network in the country now what coverage and speeds are concerned. However, in reality, kolbi has consistently by far the best coverage and data speeds through the country, especially in non-urban areas.
Regulations
Nowadays, it's very easy to buy a prepaid SIM card for a foreigner. You only need to show your photo ID or passport. Since 2014, all SIM cards need to be registered with Sutel, the national regulator, not only the operator. When they don't register your prepaid SIM in store, go online to Sutel registration website (in Spanish only), register your SIM card and wait for some hours to be activated. If you want to maintain your SIM card for more than a year, Sutel will send you an email and you may need to reconfirm your registration after one year. Otherwise, your card may be blocked.
kölbi (by I.C.E.)
The I.C.E. for Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, is the state-run electricity and incumbent telco service provider. Their prepaid product is called kölbi.
2G (to EDGE) on 1800 MHz, wide coverage, 3G (to HSDPA) in the populated areas on 850 MHz ICE 3G/4G Coverage Map 4G/LTE has been rolled out this year as the first provider on 2600 MHz (band 7) mostly in the Central Valley but is gradually expanded to more towns.
Availablity
They have a store at the San José airport (4:30h-22h) which is convenient for arriving passengers and the employees mostly speak English: ICE National Stores List
Their prepaid SIM card is called chip and costs about 1,000 Colones depending on promotions. The "Súper Chip" comes with a credit of 1,000 Colones and when you make a recharge of 500 Colones or more in the first 7 days, you get 150 MB internet for 3 days included. These offers are on 3G and 4G/LTE where available.
Recharges can be made by vouchers called cards (tarjetas) of 500, 1000, 2500, 5000, 10000 Colones or US$ 10 or 20, or electronically from 100 to 25,000 Colones at many agencies throughout the country.
Data feature packages
The default rate for internet is 0.00858 Colones per KB at speeds up to 3 Mbps on 3G and 20 Mbps on 4G/LTE. They offer these data packages, all on 2G, 3G and 4G:
| Plan | Time | Volume | Social Data | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| En Todas 1 | 24 hours | 50 MB | 40 MB | ¢ 200 | ET1 |
| En Todas 3 | 3 days | 600 MB | 100 MB | ¢ 600 | ET3 |
| En Todas Plus 5 | 5 days | 600 MB | 200 MB | ¢ 1300 | ETP5 |
| En Todas Plus 10 | 10 days | 500 MB | 400 MB | ¢ 2500 | ETP10 |
| En Todas y más | 30 days | 2 GB | ¢ 9000 | ETM |
To subscribe, simply text code to 8888. Every plan renews automatically. To unsubscribe text 'salir internet' to 8888. Overuse is charged with the default rate. The social plans include a quota for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, the Plus plans additionally Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter.
Data-only SIM
Kölbi has special prepaid rates for for tablets, MiFis and modems called "Planes kölbi Datos Prepago", now all on 4G.:
| Plan | Validity | Data | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Día 1GB | 24 hours | 1 GB | ¢ 1,500 | Ultra dia |
| Ultra Mes 6GB | 30 days | 6 GB | ¢ 13,500 | Ultra 6 |
| Ultra Mes 15GB | 15 GB | ¢ 24,000 | Ultra 15 |
Activation is by texting code to 8888. All plans auto-renew. Deactivation by texting 'salir internet' to 8888.
More info
- APN: kolbi3g
- Website in Spanish: http://kolbi.cr
Movistar
2G on 1800 MHz, 3G (to HSDPA) on 850 and 2100 MHz and 4G/LTE has started in San José on 1800 MHz and spread major towns in the provinces so far with a 70% coverage: Movistar Coverage Map#
According to OpenSignal's report in 2016, Movistar is now the best network in the country surpassing Kölbi and Claro in speed and coverage.
Availability
The SIM costs 1,000 or 2,500 Colones in their own stores Shop Locator and a lot of sales outlets. To activate a SIM with a foreign passport, text 'ACTIVAR <space> Your Name <space> Your Passport No.' to 1693, or call 1693 during regular business hours and select option 9 when prompted.
Data feature packages
Default rate is 0.0086 Colones per KB. They offer the following packages on 2G, 3G (up to 2 Mbps) and 4G/LTE where available:
| Package | Volume | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hora | 25 MB | 1 hour | ¢ 80 | HORA |
| Día | 90 MB | 24 hours | ¢ 289 | DIA |
| Diario | 100 MB | daily | ¢ 289 | DIARIO |
| Semana | 1 GB | 7 days | ¢ 2,500 | SEMANA |
| Mes | 3 GB | 30 days | ¢ 9,000 | MES |
| Nocturno | unlimitd. | nightly
11pm-8am |
¢ 500 | Nocturno |
To subscribe: Enter the keyword to 606 or use USSD code *123#. The packages Diario and Nocturno auto-renew, the others don't. To unsubscribe text 'DIARIOBAJA' or 'NOCTURNOBAJA' to 606. Overuse is charged by the default rate.
American roaming option
In 2015 Movistar started its "sin fronteras" (without borders) option for regional roaming in Central America. By activating *123# and option 3, you can surf on the Movistar networks of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama for the domestic Costa Rican rate.
In 2016 they added the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela where you can roam on Costa Rican packages for US$ 5 per day. Overuse is charged at high US$ 1 per MB.
More info
- APN: internet.movistar.cr
- Website in Spanish: http://movistar.cr/
Claro
Claro is the latest arrival. It has good coverage in the Central Valley, but can be quite patchy elsewhere. 2G is on 1800 MHz, 3G (to HSDPA) on 2100 MHz in the centers only. 4G has started on 1800 MHz in the Central Valley mostly: Claro Coverage Map. 4G/LTE has been opened for prepaid. According to independent tests, their 4G is the fastest in the country in 2016, but lacks coverage.
Availability
Claro charges you 1,000 to 2,500 Colones for the SIM they call chip. It is available in their stores Store Locator and other outlets. If you top up 1,000 Colones or more when you activate the card, they'll give you 300 MB data.
Data feature Packages
Default rate is 0.0086 Colones per KB. They have the following data bundles for their voice plans available:
| Validity | Data | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | 20 MB | ¢ 100 | 20 MB |
| 100 MB | ¢ 300 | DIA | |
| 250 MB | ¢ 600 | DIAFULL | |
| 3 days | 1 GB | ¢ 2,000 | 1GB |
| 7 days | 3 GB | ¢ 5,500 | 3GB |
For activation text name of package to 444. All packages will automatically renew if there is enough credit. To deactivate text FIN to 444. Overuse is charged at the default rate. In the packages of 100 MB and more free unlimited WhatsApp use is included.
Two social app packages for Facebook and Whatsapp are offered. 24 hours of Facebook or Whatsapp use up to 100 MB (excluding VoIP calls) at 350 Colones. Activation: Text 'FB' pr 'WA' to 444. Packages auto-renew.
Data-only SIM
Claro offers a data-only SIM for tablets and dongles. This can be loaded with these packages giving you seemingly unlimited data at a max. speed of 2 Mbps:
- 1 día = 24 hours: 750 Colones
- 7 días = 7 days: 4,900 Colones
- 15 días = 15 days: 9,000 Colones
- 30 días = 30 days: 17,500 Colones
For activation text the Spanish name for the package to 555. These packages don't renew for a change.
More info
- APN: internet.ideasclaro
- Website in Spanish: http://www.claro.cr/
TuYo móvil
TuYo móvil is one of the first MVNOs in the country and has the most users so far with a 2% market share. It's a joint venture between the biggest TV broadcaster called Teletica and ICE. That's why it uses the network of ICE in 2G and 3G (see coverage above), no 4G/LTE.
Availability
Their SIM card is sold for 1000 Colones with the same credit preloaded in lot of supermarkets like Walmart and other phone shops. Top-up cards recargas you will find in even more shops ranging from 500 to 10,000 Colones. To check your balance, text 'Saldo' to 7703.
Data feature packages
For data, they offer these packages with a max. speed of 2 Mbps on 3G:
| Data | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 MB | 1 hour | ¢ 85 | Hora |
| 150 MB | 24 hours | ¢ 420 | Día |
| 750 MB | 7 days | ¢ 2,100 | Semana |
| 1 GB | 14 days | ¢ 3,000 | Quincena |
| 2 GB | 30 days | ¢ 6,000 | Mes |
For activation, text code to 7702 or call 1700 and choose option 3. Packages won't auto-renew and you can buy a package ahead of time when the old one is used up.
More info
- APN: tm7datos
- Website in Spanish: http://www.tuyomovil.com/