Fiber Internet Service in Orotina,
Costa Rica with Itellum

Orotina may be somewhat rural but surprisingly it has the best internet in Costa Rica. Nestled in the far southwest corner of the province of Alajuela, the canton of Orotina is comprised of five districts with an approximate population of 23,000. The district (and capital of the canton) has the majority of the population which equates to about 83%. The city's terrain is relatively flat and just west of the Aguacate mountain range. In previous years it would take about 90 minutes to drive here from San José going through the mountains. However today with Highway 27, Orotina is a close 45 minutes from the capital center. Orotina takes its name from an indigenous monarch by the name of King Gurutina (or Orotina) whose “kingdom” in 1522 was located here and included the coastal area of Tivives.

This picturesque area is sought after by Costa Rican families for its excellent climate, proximity to the ocean and the stable commercial grade internet Costa Rica offered through iTellums nodes and optical fiber rings. It makes sense that people gravitate to this area to invest in or build recreational properties. It has many of the qualities people seek in a “getaway” destination. Just walking the streets of Orotina brings you back to the true traditions of Costa Rican culture and a way of life that is clean, comforting and back to nature. Residential real estate developments are popping up throughout the area in the form of family compounds, luxury condo communities, single-family homes, recreation homes, hospitality establishments, homes for assisted living, community sports facilities and much more. Touristic accommodations such as Boutique Hotel Iguana Verde, Tiriguro Lodge and other hotels close by offer hotel rooms with many services including wifi. With all this “urban-style” activity going on in a predominantly rural area, it is amazing to note that the area can sustain not only internet for hotels and the rest of the tourism sector but the fastest & most reliable internet in Costa Rica.

Agriculture is abundant in the area of Orotina. It’s obvious as you drive the highway and see the busy fruit stands where the traffic slows down and the buses collect to take advantage of the fresh produce and reasonable prices. This canton probably produces more fruits and vegetables than any other area of the country. It’s a popular stop because it’s on the way to the Pacific beaches and everyone from commercial truck drivers, tourist buses and individual vehicles stop to get the best fruit and veggies along with cashew nuts and some souvenir items. It has often been coined the fruit town because of the rich soil coupled with tried and true, expert growing techniques. Every March, Orotina is bustling with the Festival de la Fruta where not only locals market their produce, but growers from across the country come to sell their varied agricultural products. There are attractions for the whole family including amusement park-style rides, concerts and even educational workshops on irrigation, farming equipment and cultivation techniques.

One of the cultural successes that Orotina is noted for is their great communal band. With in excess of 200 members, they have won many competitions and provide a colorful exhibit of flamenco style dresses and instruments, brass bands, drummers and percussion sections, with some marching, cheerleaders, majorettes and plenty of dancing. They orchestrate a variety of music inclusive of traditional folkloric, Latino and current popular tunes. The majority of its members are young and actually spend much of their leisure time practicing their routines. Their enthusiasm for the band coupled with superior internet access which aids their studies, keep the youth of Orotina “off the streets”, productive and socially interactive in the community.

Why would such a sparsely populated rural area need the high-end fiber optic connectivity available from iTellum? There’s been a lot of talk about the airport that has been planned for construction since 2016 when a technical and financial feasibility study resulted in the Orotina/San Mateo area as an ideal location for the International Metropolitan Airport of Costa Rica. The two existing airports in Alajuela and Liberia, have undergone recent upgrades but with the increase in business, medical and leisure travel, they will not be able to handle the future air traffic. The original concept of the airport was to replace Juan Santamaria International in Alajuela and make Costa Rica the new hub for Latin America putting it in competition with Panama’s Tocumen International Airport which is currently Central Americas busiest airport. Plans for the airport include a 40-gate passenger terminal with three runways capable of handling popular, modern, wide-bodied aircraft. But it doesn’t stop there. Plans also include an “airport community” with lakes and parks, shopping centers, hotels and residential development. With an economic “anchor” it is expected that the area will experience vast improvements in infrastructure, development and commerce. This proved to be the case when the Daniel Oduber International Airport was built in 2002 in Liberia and Guanacaste province underwent a huge escalation in development. Although the Orotina-based airport is scheduled to be completed in 2025, the completion date remains undecided under the current government administration. However development is already having an effect on the area and the existence of faster, better, stronger internet and support make Orotina an obvious choice for future commercial, industrial and residential expansion.

Once news started to spread about the future airport and the capability for internet for hotels, and medium and large businesses, the future of the region has started to take an interesting turn. Plans to build a future logistic park make sense for the area since it will be close to the new airport, close to both Pacific ports of Caldera and Puntarenas, and access to three major highways, and in total 5 major crossroads. This area literally has access in every direction from its nucleus. With that said and with the ability to distribute product from such an excellent vantage point, it is an area which also has plans for an industrial complex “Parque Pacifico” which will be close to Puerto Caldera and house in excess of 20 large companies employing over 25,000 employees in machinery yards, workshops, warehouses, free zones and 3000 senior executives in offices. The idea encompasses export activity that will link Panama, Costa Rica and other countries in Central America to Mexico and beyond. The redundant quality of iTellums internet via 1:1 international fiber optics is essential to this logistic network scenario.

If you assess all the activity slated for this region and add to that, the International Data Center already preparing infrastructure and preliminary construction with plans to attract such technology giants as Amazon, Facebook and Google, you can understand their need for what is coined as an “Internet Concierge”. That is the concept that iTellum delivers the best service and support of 1:1 international connectivity from start to finish to clients that are concerned about getting the superior service they are offered rather than mediocre internet service at a lesser price. Medium to large sized companies as well as such high tech giants will be confident in a 100% fiber-optic network backed up by reliability and support staff that manages their expectations within their timeline requirements. This characteristic is what companies like Amazon with their very active call centers are reliant upon.

With the influx of more people comes the need to upgrade health care facilities and as of June 2018, one of the five companies bidding on the hospital upgrade project was awarded the $25 million dollar contract. Of course, access to these hospitals involves upgrading the roads that will serve not only the hospitals but the airport, it’s residential and commercial area, the industrial complex, the data center and the new residential areas and recreational areas that are already under construction. Condominium projects such as The Royal Palms of San Mateo will provide housing on 64 hectares of land with parks and commercial areas. Many people from the General Metropolitan Area of San José have been buying properties for future residences and vacation homes knowing that the future of the area holds all the amenities they are used to and the added plus is that it’s only minutes away from the beach. For those that want to have the beach a bit closer, there is the Parque Aquatico Villas Fantasia ( Fantasia Villas Water Park) in Orotina. This place is all about good old fashioned family fun. Although the park is not very large, it’s got enough to keep the entire family entertained and has hotel accommodations on site for those that want an extended visit or a place to use as there home base while they explore the area. The park has a restaurant, water slides, sprinkler amusements and pools, and a go-kart track all surrounded by manicured grounds and gardens.

Orotina would seem to be evolving toward a center which serves as a hub for the country and possibly Latin America with a high tech future, superior internet, and a gateway to the Central Pacific, while at the same time maintaining it’s agricultural roots.