Kolbi 3G Cellular Internet Service No Substitute for ADSL
3G Internet Service in Costa Rica
The new mobile Internet service is called “Kolbi Banda Ancha”, and while no substitute for Acelera ADSL service it’s worth looking into if you need Internet on the go. It could also eventually represent the future of broadband Internet service in Costa Rica.
The system uses the 3G cellular telephone network, but you do not need a cell phone to access it.
Instead plug a 3G antenna device into the USB port of your laptop, and receive a connection speed up to 1.5Mbs. The price tag is $10 a month if you buy the device for about $80.
The key word here, however is “up to”. I tested it in my downtown San Jose apartment and learned that I could not even get a connection in my location. The actual connection speed also depends on signal strength. So, for now I am keeping my faster ADSL Internet connections.
Click image for ICE web page on Kolbi Service Plans
If you live somewhere where no broadband access was previously available, then you are likely to welcome a connection speed of 1 Mb. The problem is 1 Mb just doesn’t cut it anymore, especially if you want to watch HD videos on youtube.com use the Internet like people in the United States.
My family on the east coast enjoys a 20 Mb Internet connection, cable television package, and VoIP telephone service with battery backup for under $60 per month.
They got this better deal when they switched from the cable television provider to the local telephone company, Verizon which now uses a coaxial cable for telephone service instead of the legacy copper wires that still carry fixed telephone lines and ADSL Internet in Costa Rica.
I pay about $90 per month for just a 4Mb ADSL Internet connection in Costa Rica, which is becoming the connection speed of only the most basic Internet access plans in the United States.
For the moment it appears that ICE ran out of the USB devices needed to install the new service, but that assumes the information on their website is current, and if the service is popular they are likely to get more devices.
Cellular Network Promises Future for Growth of Internet Service
The new service is likely to replace the WiMax Wireless Service offered by Racsa. The 3G network would in theory become more pervasive as the cell phone network expands. The WiMax service is clearly dead on the vine because the growth of the dual use cell phone and Internet network will clearly take priority over their legacy wireless, line of sight network built just for Internet access.
Of course bandwidth will need to improve substantially in order to replace home ADSL service. Lacking substantial improvements in national cable deployment we are limited to the copper wire ADSL service at 4MB. The current 3G service can only deliver up to 1.5 Mb, but it might be easier to improve 3G deployment than run cable to every home in Costa Rica.
Competition Brings Improvement
While we are limited by the service possibilities of the telecom monopoly ICE at least the threat of impending competition has prompted ICE to roll out new technologies like the 3G Internet service.
La Nacion reported that today the office of the United States Trade Representative cited Costa Rica along with several other nations for failing to open their cellular networks to competition despite having signed free trade agreements. The deadline for Costa Rica had been February 5th, and sanctions are possible.
This expatriate at least looks forward to the day when we might have options for Internet service available to us in Costa Rica that are at least comparable to our relatives in the United States.
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Filed Under: Expat Living
Had to laugh at this article, 'cause grown men aren't supposed to cry. At the same time, I am waiting patiently (tranquilo, mae) for the page to load with this lousy 3g Kolbi data card/modem. Yeah, I have it. I was one of the first in my area to sign up, back in December. Previously all I had was dial up, using those ridiculous telephone cards that RACSA sells. So, I can say that this Kolbi is an improvement on that. But: Not much of an improvement.
They did admit back in December that the initial speed would be slower than the promised 1.5Mbps, but assured me that the speed would be up by January.
I just looked at the calendar, and sure enough – January has come and gone. Would you believe that the fastest speed I have yet seen on my connection (and, that was for a very, very brief time, measured perhaps in minutes) was still less than 1Mbps. This thing is inconsistently slow………I bought a router, so that I could "share" my internet connection with other devices in my home, and it measures signal strength. Lately, it is averaging less than 30%. The best I have achieved, and this has not happened for at least a week, was around 59%.
In short, I am thoroughly disgusted with this 'service,' because in addition to the fact that they have totally failed to deliver on what they promised, I have found that there is absolutely NO such thing as customer service, tech support, or anything else available to me. I have gone in person to my local ICE office on at least three times since I bought this damn thing, and just wasted even more of my time. I asked them at least twice to exchange it, but no luck. First they said that they were receiving lots of similar complaints, and that they needed my name and contact information so that they could report this to San Jose, and have an engineer come see for himself (like that was going to happen), then they said that there just aren't any more units in the country.
I believe that I could live with 1.5Mbps, and I also noted from the first day that this Huawei Data Card/Modem is supposedly capable of speeds much higher than this, up to 7.2Mbps. But, so what? They appear to be uninterested in delivering even the tiny speed they originally promised, and I feel like a prize chump for having bought the damn thing.
(While writing this little rant, I have been trying to connect to any site that might provide the actual specs on this data card, but the pages simply will not load).
Great comment, thanks for the detailed advice. Actually there was a part I left out in my original post. I was only able to test the Kolbi broadband service in my home because a friend brough his laptop over.
There doesn't seem to be any other way to try before your buy, and I have a feeling alot of people wouldn't buy if they could try before hand. However, as you point out its better than dial-up.
Let's hope some compettuon gets in here soon. Maybe someone will bring a 4G network to Costa Rica.
When ICE offered the TDMA to 3G upgrade a few months ago we jumped on it. We had a TDMA phone and a GSM phone. The TDMA phone got 5 bars up here in the mountains, the GSM phone zip. We just recently got a hard landline, but it's going to be a while before they get the additional ports for DSL service here, so the 3G phone as a modem has been a treat. Yes, the connection speed varies greatly depending on network load (I can always tell when it's 5 PM!), and even when it's good (700 Kbps) it's not a steady bandwidth. Also the upload speed is pretty sucky. You can't use Skype on it because of these problems, but all I can say is it sure beats the hell out of mooching hotspots in town from my car. LOL!! And we only pay 3500 colones per month.
Right now ICE started the GSM to 3G upgrade path, btw.
Final word: ICE needs to be broken up and feel the pain of competition. They have served their purpose as a national entity in building up the basic infrastructure needed in the country, but now it's time to let in other players. I thought CAFTA was supposed to start kicking in this year in that regard? Any signs of progress?
I hope I'm wrong, but here's my take on any possible benefit to us (consumers) under CAFTA:
would you believe, zero? zilch. nada……0000…..goose eggs
Why, you ask? I'll tell ya: in order for any new entity to come into any new market, they have to pony up serious bucks to set up their system, infrastructure, rent lines, assemble equipment, set up offices, hire staff, etc., etc. Right?
Can you visualize any large entity, interested in showing their stockholders a profit, being willing or able to pony up millions of dollars in hopes of attracting, what, a few thousand new customers? Consider the population of Costa Rica is just over four million now. How many of those do you suppose are interested in trying a totally new service? How many of those need the service? How much are those who might be willing and able able to spend?
Do you see my point? I just don't see Sprint, or AT&T coming into such a small market, with such a tiny potential.
So, basically, I guess I am not about to hold my breath.
i think there are enough people that are so sick of ICE that they are willing to try anything that a new service provider offers…. Come to think of it, service and provide… those two words are not in ICE's vocabulary.
I have 4 bars of signal, why do I only get 100kbps and frequent disconnects.
I suspect the system is limitted in capacity no matter how good the signal. Capacity in the first ADSL broadband service was terrible when demand quickly outpaced supply in 2005.
The agents at ICE were “selling” the 3G Internet service to people who come in and initally ask for ADSL. I know two ticos that gave in to the sales pitches and glossy marketing and signed the Kolbi contract even through ADSL was available in their areas.
I suspect that running out of data cards had more to do with limitting new connections more than it did with supplying the cards. Go figure.
Alan makes a good point. I have long suspected that my lack of a consistent signal, whether slow or fast, has as much to do with their overselling of the system to the point that they themselves have already allowed it to become saturated, with too many users. Limiting new connections may be a good idea, but it seems to me that maybe they should have held off for many months before introducing the system countrywide, since they are so obviously incapable of delivering on what they promised.
Here's an update I didn't expect to be able to post:
Yesterday, while in town (Nuevo Arenal), a friend told me that he had just gone to the local ICE office and requested that he begin to receive the full high speed. He said that they have changed his plan, and by the time he arrived at home, he was expecting to have a full broad band connection. So, I went over there immediately, and was told by the young man who works there, that the reason we had not been receiving full speed, and the reason we had not been charged the higher cost we originally had agreed to was that there had been a pending court case that has now been resolved. Reportedly, the High Court had said that ICE could not have the different pricing tiers, for slower to fastest speeds, but they have now reversed themselves. I personally had not seen or heard anything about this, but I asked him to please switch me immediately to the fastest speed possible. (It might be remembered by some that the original promise we got from ICE was that we had a special introductory price because the highest speed just was not available yet. I, for one, was under the impression that they would automatically begin delivering the higher speed as soon as it was ready, but it turns out this was not the case).
At any rate, I will now be charged around $24.00 per month, and my first speed test upon returning home yesterday afternoon was indeed just over 1000Kbps. Upload still sucks, but wow……….what can I say? Maybe something like, "Get to the ICE office, and ask them to speed your connection up to the full deal?"
anyone know who to check the remainig time on the SIM card…just bought $20 SIM at the airport yesterday and have no idea how much time is left>
I recommend tethering your Kolbi 3G internet from your cell phone to your computer instead of buying one of those new USB cards. I'm getting decent speeds off my data plan which I pay 3500 colones a month with an iPhone.
I used to pay 100 dollars for a 4 MB RACSA connection and just got sick of paying so much (my brother in the U.K has a 10MB connection for 25 dollars a month!!!)
The speeds I get off my 3G network are only a fraction of what I used to get (about 80kbytes) but atleast I'm saving 92 dollars a month!
I agree, my parents in the U.S. pay like $60 for 20MB, 300 cable channels and a Voip telephone line. I am paying $90 for just 4MB. The bandwidth offered in Costa Rica is definitely at risk of becoming becoming obsolete and any useful application of the Internet demands more and more.
As regards the Kolbi data card/modem, I am now being full popped (basic cost will be around $24.00/mo + taxes and fees) for a high speed of 1,000Kbps/download and only 300Kbps/upload. It remains very inconsistent. I can usually achieve the high end on a random speed test, but if I try to stream video, it frequently freezes, and can be choppy.
I too live in Arenal and have frequented the local ICE office hoping to find a remedies to such slow and inconsistent internet speed. I sit here now at this moment watching the speed on my Kolbi 3G data card stuck hard on 125Kbt's , and for the first time ever, a sharp clean signal. I'm afraid to ask but is this it? The last thing i want to do is go back into the office just to hear that if i gave them more money everything would be just perfectly fine. Like i'm going to believe that's ever going to happen. But yes, if i could say anything good about this 3G service, it's been better than using Rasca dial up service…pura vida. PS..as i try to post this comment i get a "connection error" who woulda thunk it??
I agree with the comment bringing competition in will not necessarly bring in more bandwidth. An as for CR being a shiny New Apple for an AT&T or Spring you have got to be kidding the pop volume here is half the size of New York City, and the bandwidth users on the highside is less than 15% of the pop. The math does not work to invest here. What could happen is we could establish our own muni or coop communication company and delivery broadband services over a new WiMAX Cloud platform which could easily cover CR footprint at a lesser cost than 3G or LTE. WiMAX prices for tower radios are coming down fast chipsets are becoming more available.
i usually had 300 to 450 i think some time i even had almost 700 kbit/s but since a week or two at least i get around 100kbit/s… They activated the Internet on my Phone (i am using a Nokia 5800 with Ubuntu Linux) through a phone call so i'll try to evade to stand in line for hours and instead just give it a try to call them again…
So ADSL just came to my area a few months ago, while I was out of the country. Now I hear that it's already sold out in the area, and that my only option is the wireless card, which I have heard is much slower. I'm honestly wondering if I can slip some money to the right person (installer or service rep), or perhaps buy someone else's connection off them, which was the case when cellular service was limited. What's your opinion on that?
Installer? Service Rep? You're talking about Costa Rica and ICE. They don't have such animals. I am not sure I can accept a statement that ADSL is "sold out," however. What is sold out all over the country is the data card/USB thing. ADSL, being hard wired, should be a different story. I would strongly suggest that you talk to the folks at your local ICE office to see what is really going on in your area.
ADSL installation unfortunately requires an installer to come to your home or business in Costa Rica. In the United States they usually just ship the ADSL modem with a self install kit, but I doubt the average Costa Rican adult would be up to the task. It's one of those cultural issues.
Waiting for the installer has always been my primary frustration dealing with these guys. I live in the heart of San Jose just blocks from one of the largest ICE offices. My usual wait time for installation has been 3 weeks, and I am familiar with the process because I have moved a few times and usually work with 3 ADSL lines at a time (I like bandwidth).
What you describe with waiting lists in rural areas is exactly how they operate. They won't call you after you get on the list, and have to bother them every two or three weeks until you get an installation order. We went through this in San Jose years ago, but I think they finally have enough bandwidth downtown.
Apart from not letting you do the install personally they want to use their very cheap, made in China, one size fits all modem. It will come preprogrammed to use NAT and you end up sharing an IP address with your neighbors. Unfortunately this causes latency in your connection and prevents you from having 100% over your connection.
I would write about it more, but unless you have some background in this stuff there is absolutely nothing you can do apart eat the dog food that is served to you.