Costa Rica - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 14 Jul 2021 Update History

Report Pages: 160

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

Liberty Latin America receives approval for $500m purchase of Movistar

In June 2021 Liberty Latin America (LLA) announced that it had obtained approval from the telecom regulator Sutel to acquire Telefónica Costa Rica (Movistar) — Costa Rica’s second-largest mobile network operator — for around $500 million. The deal came together just two months after regulatory hurdles scuppered the agreement to sell Movistar to Millicom International Cellular for $570 million. LLA’s purchase must still undergo final analysis by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Telecommunications. Assuming it gets the go-ahead, LLA will be able to offer telecom services across the spectrum in Costa Rica, having previously acquired an 80% share of the fixed broadband and cable TV provider Cabletica in 2018.

The fixed broadband market is one of the few parts of Costa Rica’s telecom sector to experience solid growth in recent years, both in size and revenue. The country’s fibre network expanded substantially between 2019 and 2020, reaching 193,000km. Average data speeds were above 10Mb/s as of early 2021. Fixed-line broadband traffic volumes have also increased by more than 30%, year-on-year. The service providers, consequently, are enjoying strong returns, with revenue increasing by a healthy 8% in the last reported financial year.

Other areas of the market have proven relatively lacklustre, with slow or even negative growth. Some of this can be attributed to the economic and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the fixed-line and mobile sectors have both been struggling to produce decent results since well before the start of the crisis. The rollout of 5G network infrastructure in Costa Rica is unlikely to occur much before 2023, but this may be one of the few remaining areas of opportunity open to investors outside of fixed-line internet and pay TV services.

Key developments

Liberty Latin America gains approval to acquire Telefónica Costa Rica (Movistar) for $500 million.
Length of the national fibre network increases 146% year-on-year, to 193,000km.
Regulator prepares for 700MHz auction in July 2021.
Mobile broadband penetration surpasses 100%.
This report includes the regulator's market data reports for 2019, telcos' financial and operating data updates to Q1 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, and other recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report

Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), Cabletica, Claro, Liberty Latin America, Movistar, RASCA, Telecable, Tigo

Key statistics
Regional Latin America Market Comparison

Telecom Maturity Index by tier

Top-tier – Market Leaders
Middle-tier – Market Challengers
Bottom-tier – Market Emergents
South America Telecom Maturity Index
Central America Telecom Maturity Index

TMI versus GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed and mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Covid-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Economic considerations and responses
Mobile devices
Subscribers
Infrastructure

Telecommunications market
Regulatory environment

Historical overview
Regulatory authority
Fixed-line developments

General Telecommunications Law
Market liberalisation
Interconnection and access
Number Portability
Roaming
Tariffs
Spectrum auctions
Universalisation Fund (Fonatel)
Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)

Mobile market

Mobile statistics
Mobile data
Mobile broadband
Mobile infrastructure

Overview
5G
4G (LTE)
3G
GSM

Major mobile operators

ICE
Movistar Costa Rica
Claro Costa Rica

Fixed-line broadband market

Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed-line broadband services

Fixed wireless (WiMAX, WiBro, Wi-Fi)
Internet via satellite

Fixed network market

Major network operators

Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)
RACSA

Telecommunications infrastructure

National telecom network
Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
International infrastructure

Satellite networks
Terrestrial networks
Submarine cable networks

Wholesale

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities – Costa Rica – 2021 (e)
Table 2 – Evolution of GDP in Costa Rica – 2011 – 2021
Table 3 – Growth in telecom sector revenue and annual change – 2011 – 2019
Table 4 – Change in revenue market share by sector – 2011 – 2019
Table 5 – Growth in the number of mobile number portings - 2013 – 2019
Table 6 – Development of roaming revenue (SMS/MMS and voice) (C$ million) - 2013 – 2019
Table 7 – Fonatel investment in telecoms (C$ million) – 2012 – 2019
Table 8 – Fonatel covered premises, people – 2015 – 2019
Table 9 – Change in the mobile market share by operator - 2011 – 2019
Table 10 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by main operator - 2012 – 2019
Table 11 – Development of mobile revenue by service (C$ billion) - 2011 - 2019
Table 12 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration - 2011 – 2026
Table 13 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers - 2010 – 2019
Table 14 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and postpaid subscribers - 2010 – 2019
Table 16 – Development of prepaid and contract mobile ARPU (C$/subscriber/month) - 2011 – 2019
Table 17 – SMS and MMS traffic - 2011 – 2019
Table 18 – Average SMS traffic sent per user per month - 2014 – 2019
Table 19 – Decline in SMS/MMS revenue – 2011 – 2019
Table 20 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers and penetration - 2011 – 2026
Table 21 – Growth in mobile internet revenue - 2013 – 2019
Table 22 – Growth in mobile internet traffic - 2013 – 2019
Table 23 – Change in the proportion of fixed internet connections by data rate - 2015 – 2019
Table 24 – Change in the proportion of fixed broadband subscribers by technology – 2015 – 2019
Table 25 – Fixed-line internet traffic and annual change – 2013 – 2019
Table 26 – Fixed-line broadband revenue and ARPU – 2011 – 2019
Table 27 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Table 28 – Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2019
Table 29 – DSL subscribers and household penetration – 2011 – 2019
Table 30 – Development of Cabletica's financial data ($ million) – 2019 – 2021
Table 31 – Growth in the number of Cabletica's fixed broadband premises passed – 2018 – 2021
Table 32 – Increase in the number of fibre broadband subscribers – 2010 – 2019
Table 33 – Change in the number of WiMAX subscribers – 2009 – 2019
Table 35 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2011 – 2026
Table 36 – Change in the proportion of traditional fixed and VoIP lines – 2011 – 2019
Table 38 – Change in VoIP market share of subscribers by operator – 2011 – 2019
Table 39 – Change in PSTN and VoIP revenue (C$ million) – 2012 – 2019
Table 40 – Development of PSTN telephony and VoIP ARPU (C$ per month) – 2012 – 2019
Table 41 – Average PSTN telephony and VoIP revenue (C$ per minute) – 2011 – 2019
Table 42 – Change in fixed-line telephony and VoIP traffic (billion minutes) – 2010 – 2019
Table 43 – Change in the average telephony traffic per subscriber (fixed-line and VoIP, minutes per subscriber) – 2010 – 2019
Table 44 – Development of ICE’s financial data (C$ billion) – 2010 – 2019
Table 45 – Growth in the number of Cabletica’s fixed-line subscribers – 2018 – 2021
Table 46 – Growth in the number of Cabletica’s fixed-line subscribers– 2018 – 2021
Table 47 – Development of Cabletica's ARPU – 2018 – 2020
Table 48 – Growth in international internet bandwidth – 2011 – 2019
Table 49 – Wholesale fixed-line broadband lines and revenue – 2015 – 2019
Table 50 – Historic - Evolution of GDP in Costa Rica – 2000 – 2010
Table 51 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration - 1998 – 2010
Table 52 – Historic - Internet users and user penetration – 1997 – 2015
Table 53 – Historic - Fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2010
Table 54 – Historic - Broadband market share by technology – 2000 – 2008
Table 55 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1997 – 2010
Table 56 – Historic - Cable modem subscribers and household penetration – 2000 – 2010
Table 57 – Historic - DSL subscribers and household penetration – 2002 – 2010
Table 58 – Historic- Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers and penetration - 2009 – 2010
Table 59 – Historic - Growth in international internet bandwidth – 2007 – 2010

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Latin America – Overall Telecoms Maturity Index
Chart 2 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders Category
Chart 3 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers Category
Chart 4 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents Category
Chart 5 – South America –Telecoms Maturity Index by country
Chart 6 – Central America –Telecoms Maturity Index by country
Chart 7 – Latin America Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita
Chart 8 – Latin America mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Latin America fixed broadband penetration versus mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Growth in telecom sector revenue and annual change – 2011 – 2019
Chart 11 – Change in revenue market share by sector – 2011 – 2019
Chart 12 – Growth in the number of mobile number portings - 2013 – 2019
Chart 13 – Development of roaming revenue (SMS/MMS and voice) - 2013 – 2019
Chart 14 – Fonatel covered premises, people – 2015 – 2019
Chart 15 – Change in the mobile market share by operator - 2011 – 2019
Chart 16 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by main operator - 2012 – 2019
Chart 17 – Development of mobile revenue by service - 2011 - 2019
Chart 18 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration - 2011 – 2026
Chart 19 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers - 2010 – 2019
Chart 20 – Change in the proportion of prepaid and postpaid subscribers - 2010 – 2019
Chart 21 – Average traffic per mobile subscriber - 2012 – 2019
Chart 22 – Development of prepaid and contract mobile ARPU - 2011 – 2019
Chart 23 – Decline in SMS/MMS revenue – 2011 – 2019
Chart 24 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers and penetration - 2011 – 2026
Chart 25 – Growth in mobile internet revenue - 2013 – 2019
Chart 26 – Growth in mobile internet traffic - 2013 – 2019
Chart 27 – Change in the proportion of fixed internet connections by data rate - 2015 – 2019
Chart 28 – Change in the proportion of fixed broadband subscribers by technology – 2015 – 2019
Chart 29 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2026
Chart 30 – Growth in the number of cable modem subscribers and penetration – 2011 – 2019
Chart 31 – DSL subscribers and household penetration – 2011 – 2019
Chart 32 – Development of Cabletica's financial data ($ million) 2019 – 2021
Chart 33 – Growth in the number of Cabletica's fixed broadband premises passed – 2019 – 2021
Chart 34 – Increase in the number of fibre broadband subscribers – 2010 – 2019
Chart 35 – Change in the number of WiMAX subscribers – 2009 – 2019
Chart 36 – Decline in the number of ICE’s PSTN lines and penetration – 2010 – 2019
Chart 37 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2011 – 2026
Chart 38 – Change in the proportion of traditional fixed and VoIP lines – 2011 – 2019
Chart 39 – Growth in the number of VoIP connections and penetration – 2010 – 2019
Chart 40 – Change in PSTN and VoIP revenue – 2012 – 2019
Chart 41 – Development of PSTN telephony and VoIP ARPU – 2012 – 2019
Chart 42 – Average PSTN telephony and VoIP revenue (C$ per minute) – 2011 – 2019
Chart 43 – Change in fixed-line telephony and VoIP traffic – 2010 – 2019
Chart 44 – Change in the average telephony traffic per subscriber (fixed-line and VoIP) – 2010 – 2019
Chart 45 – Development of ICE’s financial data – 2010 – 2019
Chart 46 – Growth in the number of Cabletica’s fixed-line subscribers – 2018 – 2021
Chart 47 – Growth in the number of Cabletica’s fixed-line subscribers – 2018 – 2021
Chart 48 – Development of Cabletica's ARPU – 2018 – 2020
Chart 49 – Growth in international internet bandwidth – 2011 – 2019

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 2 – South America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country
Exhibit 3 – Central America - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country
Exhibit 4 – Major submarine cable networks connecting Costa Rica

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Costa Rica - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

USD 890.00

Liberty Latin America receives approval for $500m purchase of Movistar

Key developments

Companies mentioned in this report

Key statistics

Regional Latin America Market Comparison

Country overview

Covid-19 and its impact on the telecom sector

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Fixed network market

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

USD 890.00

Share this Report

Purchase with Confidence

Research Methodology

Sample Reports

Hot Topics

News & Views