Costa Rica Internet Usage Facts and Figures

Costa Rica Internet Usage Facts and Figures

Source: Tico Times

By Adam Williams
Tico Times Staff | awilliams@ticotimes.net
A recent study conducted by Internet provider Radiográfica Costarricense S.A. (RACSA) and market research firm CID Gallup revealed that 53 percent of Costa Ricans (2.4 million people) actively use the Internet. This percentage has increased each year since 2004, when an estimated 20 percent of Ticos used the Internet. In 2009, RACSA and CID Gallup found that 45 percent of Costa Ricans had online access.

The study also discovered that 52 percent of Costa Rican homes have a computer, up from 46 percent in 2009. Of the estimated 648,000 computerized homes, 367,000 had Internet access. The study also found that Ticos’ average Internet visit is three hours, and the average user age 29 years.

The most common uses for the Internet were e-mail, online searches, research, chatting and social networking, while use of the Internet by Costa Ricans for work, music, videos, bank transactions and online purchases grew considerably in the past year.

According to a study by the Education Ministry, of Costa Rica’s 9,246 educational institutions, 2,369 (25.6 percent) had Internet access as of Jan. 1, 2010. The ministry also reported that 133 schools were in the process of having an Internet connection installed, and that a feasibility study for potential Internet installation was being conducted for 2,077 other schools.

According to the 2009-2010 World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report, Costa Rica is ranked 49th among the world’s nations in terms of the percentage of its citizens who use the Internet, up seven spots from the previous year. Costa Rica also exports the ninth largest amount of high-technology products. Most of these exports are Intel Pentium computer processors manufactured here.


Message from Management

Recently I spent ten days in Costa Rica working on various projects. It had been six months since I was there last. I thought you would be interested in what I saw.

Southern Costa Rica continues to make favorable changes while retaining its unique

features of beautiful flora and fauna and a friendly relaxed lifestyle. For example, ten years ago there were only muddy agricultural roads in the area. Now there is a beautiful two lane highway with reflectors making driving safe and easy all day and night.

Rather than having virtually no telephone service and no cell phone service (as was the case until December 15, 2009), internet service is becoming commonplace and it is only a short time before the community of San Buenaventura has internet service.

Instead of an outdated medical facility, the Southern zone of Costa Rica now has one of the newest medical facilities in all of Costa Rica. For photos click here.

Cortez Costa Rica
New hospital 5 minutes from The Village of San Buenas

Rather than providing sporadic electrical power, a new hydroelectric power plant is being built.

And finally, although no specifics have been announces, rumors continue to float that a new international airport will be built in the southern zone/Osa Peninsula sometime in the relative near future.

The Village of San Buenas

Our Costa Rica real estate development continues to be more impressive on each visit. Our family has built a home about in the middle of the development. The news are spectacular! We see the ocean and mountains, see parakeets, toucans, scarlet macaws and hear the flowing river running through the project along with  the howler monkeys that live in the nearby natural preserve (located on the project).

Village San Buenas Logo
Affordable Costa Rica Living

We are making excelling progress in getting more infrastructure in place. Specifically, we have constructed a bridge over the river that flows through the property. Within the next twelve months we will have a well drilled that will take care of many of our lot owners when they choose to build their home.

We are working closely with the government agencies to have electricity available to everyone in the near future. We hope to have internet service available to select areas of the project by June 2011. Telephone service is expected to be available to select regions of the project by December 2010.

All these things mean that the infrastructure should be in place in a large portion of the development before any lot owner decides to build a house.

Obviously the depressed world economy has had a negative impact on the value of many peoples’ houses and holdings in the stock market. It is very pleasing to note that no such decline has occurred on the value of our lots. Indeed, virtually everyone who purchased a lot has seen its value increase. As we continue to upgrade the project we plan to increase prices.

I encourage you to visit our website, www.VillageCostaRica.com, then contact me directly with any questions you may have. We would love to visit with you about beautiful Costa Rica and The Village of San Buenas.

As a final note, buy your airpland ticket and go see our project – I invite you to stay at our house to view the project. You will love what you see and hear!

Our beautiful house
Our beautiful house

Duane Halverson
Chairman of the Board


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