Mobile Market Overview
Costa Rica had a population of 5.0mn people and 7.7mn mobile subscriptions by the end of 2014, giving a penetration rate of 154% - one of the highest in Central America, alongside Panama and El Salvador. Around 83% of subscribers had a pre-paid account.
There are three Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) serving the Costa Rica market, of which kolbi (ICE) was the clear market leader with 4.7mn subscriptions– 61% market share (See figure 1), significantly ahead of Movistar (Telefónica) with 1.9mn subscriptions and Claro (América Móvil) which had 1.1mn.