A possible increase in the charge for downloading data services on mobile Internet jeopardizes access to information. As consequence, the digital division could grow.
People who oppose the measure are using this argument to reject competition in the mobile service rates, because, in their opinion, it enables differentiated charge.
Last year, the Press Club made public its concerns about the decision announced by the Superintendence of Telecommunications (SUTEL), which requested the collection of data transfer for mobile Internet post-paid users.
At that moment, this initiative failed, but with the possibility of having a rate competition, the differentiated charge could take place.
If the measure is applied, applications such as WhatsApp, Waze and Facebook could also be affected due to the impact of the collection.
In the Press Club, journalists consider that a charge for downloading data services would particularly affect them since data transfer via their smartphones is an important part of their days.
According to SUTEL and telephone operators, data collection could help to clear the mobile network, which could also be possible with an increase in transmission speeds. However, a recent study from Open Signal, which analyzes the quality of mobile networks globally, found that Costa Rica has one of the worst rates of mobile Internet service.
Deputy Ombudsman Juan Manuel Cordero will request SUTEL to extend the public consultation because it is considered to be a very technical matter and users need to be well-informed.