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Mobile internet, 4G and 5G in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has three mobile operators: Kölbi, the brand of the state company ICE, alongside Liberty and Claro. At the end of 2025 Liberty held 40.2% of the market, Kölbi 38.1% and Claro 21.8%. The regulator SUTEL makes a point of saying that no operator is strongly dominant — Kölbi still led with 42.4% in 2021, Liberty has led since 2022 — while describing the market as highly concentrated and close to standing still.

On reach, SUTEL publishes no percentage of the territory, but it does publish something else worth having: mobile penetration stood at 137% in 2025, on average more than one active line per inhabitant, and mobile internet penetration at 106% per inhabitant. Costa Rica has, in the regulator's own words, passed the point of having more mobile internet connections than people, which SUTEL describes as near-universal coverage. Keep the distinction sharp: that counts connections, not square kilometres.

5G exists and was actively sold through 2025 — enough to move customers between operators, with number portings up 28.4% on the year before — but SUTEL publishes no 5G coverage figure, and its report contradicts itself on how mature the technology is. So we quote none.

Roaming in Costa Rica without an eSIM

Costa Rica is outside the EU and the EEA, so 'Roam Like at Home' does not apply. That arrangement covers the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, along with Moldova and Ukraine, and Costa Rica is not among them. Your operator therefore bills Costa Rican data at its own out-of-bundle roaming tariff, without the EU price caps that apply inside the zone. That is the real cost here, because the network is not the problem: a trip taking in the coast, the volcanoes and the cloud forest easily runs to a fortnight, and the meter runs the whole time. The European Commission advises checking that tariff with your provider first.

What your handset needs to support in Costa Rica

SUTEL publishes one warning that is immediately practical for a visitor. In its explanation of handset homologation — the testing of devices intended to be sold on the local market — the regulator writes that devices designed for other markets do not necessarily share the same technical specifications as those intended for Costa Rica, and that factors such as frequency bands can vary by region. That text is about devices someone wants to sell there; SUTEL says nothing about tourists or roaming handsets, so we will not claim your phone is exempt. What you can take from it: check which bands your handset supports before you fly, particularly if it is older or was bought outside Europe.

One more point, mostly to say what we do not know. Costa Rica operates a prepaid line registration system under its telecoms regulator. Who has to register, with what document, by when, and what happens if they do not, is not on the page SUTEL publishes — that page is a landing page. So we do not describe the procedure, and we do not promise that an eSIM saves you a counter visit. What an eSIM does is simpler: it is ready before you leave, you know the price in advance, and your own SIM card stays active for texts and bank codes on your usual number.