Costa Rica’s state-owned telecom, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) announced the activation of its 4.5G service, or LTE-A network, in the San José metropolitan area, increasing the maximum download speed to 200 Mbps.
LTE Advanced is the next major step in the evolution of LTE networks that’s expected to both help band-aid the massive increases in mobile data demand, and deliver much higher data speeds for all. That means better coverage, greater stability, and faster performance.
In an interview with El Financiero, ICE’s telecommunications director Jaime Palermo said around 60 LTE-A base stations would be operational in San Jose by the end of January, with commercial offers for customers of its Kölbi brand is set to be unveiled in due course.
The current maximum speeds on the network are 100 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload. Both will double following the network upgrade for users with LTE-A compatible handsets.
Palermo highlighted that 4.5G is the forrunner of 5G and that it allows Kölbi customers to double the speed of the Internet service, reaching speeds of up to 200 Mbps of download and 50 Mbps of upload in optimal conditions.
In order for users to enjoy the new 4.5G network they must have a smartphone compatible with this technology.
Some of the smartphones compatible with LTE-A are the iPhone 7, 8 and X (10); the Samsung S8 & S8 Plus; Huawei P10; and LG G6, among others.
