Fiber Internet Service in Limón,
Costa Rica with Itellum

A dramatically different experience from the rest of Costa Rica is Limón on the Caribbean coast. A gateway to all points east, this port city is growing and is a key location for Fiber Optic Internet connectivity offered by Itellum.

With a population of close to 70,000 inhabitants, Limón has been essential to international exports and imports that fuel the economy not only of the surrounding general area but for the entire country. The importance of having the best #Internet in Costa Rica is essential to commerce here. Colonization of the area dates back as early as 1502 when Christopher Columbus dropped anchor at Isla Uvita, an island just off the coast of Puerto Limón.

He was greeted by native people who wore a lot of gold jewelry and felt many riches could be found in the area. Speculation has it that this is where the name “rich coast” which means Costa Rica came from. In 1569 large plots of land in Matina, including their indigenous habitants were awarded to aristocrats to finance the conquest of the area. The plan did not play out as conceptualized because they overestimated the number of locals that they could exploit.

As a result, they imported African slaves to work the land in order to produce the only source of revenue for the absentee landowners from the then capital city of Cartago. When “pirate” Henry Morgan arrived in Portete, a small bay between Moin and Limon in 1666, they tried to venture inland toward Cartago but were met with resistance and turned back, never to return. It wasn’t until 1854 that Limon was officially founded and in 1867 railroad construction began to connect the Costa Rica highlands to the sea using Limón as the major port to expedite coffee exports from the central valley. This also gave way to the cultivation of bananas which was in turn facilitated by the railroad. The first African slaves mixed with indigenous of the region and formed the basic culture and ethnicity until the latter half of the 19th century when hired workers came from Jamaica, Barbados and, Trinidad and Tobago.

This is what sets the ambiance, turquoise waters and Caribbean flavor of the area apart from the rest of Costa Rica and why the majority of the black population speak English with a Jamaican accent and have English surnames. Limón has not enjoyed the attention of the government as far as infrastructure is concerned. But that’s changing with the recognition of what the area has to offer, not just in natural beauty, but in the fastest and most reliable Internet in Costa Rica.

The area suffered a big setback with the earthquake of 1991 that devastated many businesses and made roads and bridges impassable. It took a long time to rebuild but the tourism business is especially attractive, growing and attracts a primarily European base. With the increase in tourists and the development of new businesses related to import and export comes the need for #Internet Costa Rica is able to extend.

Internet for hotels, call-centers, and businesses medium and large, is tantamount to the successful growth of the area. Internet via 1:1 International Fiber Optics is a major focal point of the area and a solid base for commerce and industry in the port of Limón.

The Costa Rican Petroleum Refinery aka (Recope) opened a wharf for the importation of crude oil and petroleum products in 1981. After that, the wharf has been used for various cargoes such as banana trees, orange juice, fertilizers, and fuels. The container terminal was also opened in 1981 and enlarged to 12.5 hectares over the years. There are in actuality, two ports in the area, Limón and Moin. So what is next for these port facilities?

The once somewhat overlooked area is about to receive much-deserved attention. Over the next 10 years, approximately $1 billion will be invested in infrastructure, housing, schools, roads, security, and culture. This is due to the predicted evolutionary impact of the new $1.1 billion container terminal that was inaugurated February 2019 as the largest pubic infrastructure project in Costa Rica’s history — the MCT or Moin Container Terminal. Never has faster, better, stronger internet and support been more important than to the operations of this mega-project! Superior internet is indispensable for the company in charge of the construction of operations, APM Terminals, a division of Maersk.

The new port facility will have an extremely positive impact not only on the port itself, but the surrounding areas and the country as a whole. The port can now accommodate ships four times the size of what it could previously. This means greatly improved volumes, turn-around times and increase the country's trade capabilities by 23% while creating about 145,000 new jobs nationally and an increase of $2.9 billion in GDP. The impact on the Limón area itself should create 550 new jobs and 1,100 related jobs giving a boost to the economy of the region. The investment of $1.1 billion in the infrastructure of the area will come from a percentage of the net income generated by MCTs operations. This is expected to attract foreign investment and has already attracted large corporations that want an Internet Concierge. Itellum uses this term to describe the type of service that large companies contract for but the services often fall short and that provides the redundant quality and best service and support that these large corporations require and are prepared to pay for, rather than promised services that cannot be delivered.

This vast improvement in the area will make way for more opportunities for the residents with increased labor force requirements, skills development, training facilities, incentives for renewable energies and conservation of wildlife.

Wildlife and raw nature abound here on the Caribbean coast and with Limon as the capital of the province of Limon, there are more opportunities here than in the past. The uniqueness of the Caribbean coast lends itself to a popular destination with tourists, mostly European, investors and business entrepreneurs. With over 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of pristine beaches, primarily undeveloped, the area's natural beauty is spectacular and complimented by an intense diversity of flora and fauna. The province of Limon is 9,200 square kilometers (3,500 square miles), however, it only represents 9 % of the country’s population.

Despite this sparse population, some people live in rather remote areas but use their environment as their livelihood and source of transportation. This is true of one of the most frequently visited national treasures, the region and national park of Tortuguero. The name “Tortuguero” loosely translated is “turtle nesting ground” and includes canals with beaches that stretch 22 miles long. Within this protected area several types of turtles breed, including green, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead.

There are 11 different coastal habitats that are made up of swamps, lagoons, mangroves and tropical rainforest that attract three species of monkeys, in excess of 300 bird species, crocodiles, caimans, jaguars, manatees, tapirs, jaguars, sloths, river otters, and poison dart frogs to name a few. All of this contributes to the economy of the region through the increasing number of tour companies promoting travel plans to this biologically diverse destination.

Having the most efficient commercial grade #Internet Costa Rica has available can only serve to improve communications in tourism and beyond. With all this rich history and environment comes the major attraction of the area which is a fall festival commencing October 12th with the Día de Las Culturas and then continues as what is known as the Limon Carnival and usually spans about 10-12 days. The carnival is a celebration of the kaleidoscope of cultures inclusive of the Afro-Caribbean influence. It ’s a high energy street festival with reggae, calypso and other Caribbean-style music and dancing in the street, parades, typical foods, concerts, and colors. Caribbean dishes like rice and beans, jerk chicken, rondon and pan bon are served up and the ambiance is like no other in Costa Rica.

Several languages mingle in the crowds from Creole English to Spanish to smatterings of other European and Asian languages and with all the festivities, one may think they are in a totally different country.

Although the festival has suffered some setbacks over the years with bad weather (which is uncharacteristic for that coast in October), it continues to thrive through information disseminated via the reliable #Internet made possible by Itellum. As compelling as #Limón is, it can be a long, although the picturesque drive to the east coast. Years ago, before the earthquake of 1991, there was a train that went to Limon. There has been some talk about resurrecting the train but as development continues, it seems probable that the Limon International Airport, may experience some upgrading to handle the increase in business and touristic traffic.

Previously the airport facilitated only charter or private flights, but as times progresses we will see an increase in scheduled flights to this destination. It’s international designation has been under used as the facility does primarily domestic, national flights. Once the airport is upgraded, it will be a hub for the east coast towns and possibly provide access to the Caribbean countries and South America. Internet via 1:1 International Fiber Optics will prove to be of great benefit in the success of this tropical treasure.