Costa Rica Mobile Networks: Kölbi vs Claro vs Liberty

Coverage, speed and reliability are separate questions. One operator may deliver faster downloads in San José while another is more practical for an itinerary involving remote lodges, national parks or secondary roads.

The most useful approach is to compare Kölbi, Claro and Liberty against the places you will actually visit.

Costa Rica mobile network overview

Costa Rica’s nationwide consumer mobile market is centered on three mobile network operators:

Kölbi, the mobile brand of the state-owned Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, or ICE.
Claro, part of América Móvil’s regional telecommunications group.
Liberty, operated by Liberty Latin America following its acquisition of Telefónica’s former Costa Rican mobile business.

Costa Rica has also awarded spectrum to regional operators for future 5G deployment. These projects may improve connectivity in specific cantons, but they are not currently equivalent to the three established nationwide tourist SIM choices. SUTEL’s latest national mobile-quality evaluation continues to compare Claro, Kölbi and Liberty.

Operator	Network and Ownership	Main Strengths	Main Limitations	Tourist Notes
Kölbi	ICE-owned national network	Long-established footprint; often considered for rural and multi-region itineraries	Not automatically the fastest; coverage should be checked for each destination	Physical prepaid SIM and eSIM options are available
Claro	América Móvil network	Strong measured 4G speeds; expanding 5G in populated areas	Rural and mountainous performance may differ from urban results	Prepaid, postpaid and eSIM services are available
Liberty	Liberty Latin America network; formerly Movistar	Competitive service in populated and tourist-oriented areas; expanding 5G	Coverage may vary outside developed corridors and towns	Prepaid SIMs and store-activated eSIM are available

Costa Rica’s SUTEL mobile coverage and speed portal provides regulator field evaluations and an interactive map. The results should be read carefully: SUTEL separately measures download speed and the accuracy of operators’ published coverage maps.

Kölbi, Claro and Liberty compared

Alt Text A balanced visual comparison of Kölbi, Claro and Liberty across rural roads, urban areas, tourism corridors, indoor spaces and 4G and 5G network conditions.

Kölbi

Kölbi is frequently the first network considered by travelers heading beyond the Greater Metropolitan Area. ICE has operated telecommunications infrastructure across Costa Rica for decades, and Kölbi is commonly associated with a broad national footprint.

That does not mean Kölbi wins every measurement. SUTEL’s 2025 field tests recorded an average 4G download speed of 36.1 Mbps for Kölbi, compared with 55.1 Mbps for Claro and 21.4 Mbps for Liberty. Local results can be substantially higher or lower depending on congestion, terrain and the serving cell.

SUTEL also found that Kölbi’s published 4G map had a lower match rate with field measurements than those of Claro and Liberty. This was a coverage-map precision metric, not a finding that Kölbi covered the smallest share of Costa Rica. Travelers should therefore check the exact route rather than assuming every area shown on a map will provide the same indoor or roadside experience.

The official Kölbi mobile coverage map is useful for checking individual towns, roads and accommodation areas before departure.

Kölbi is generally worth considering when an itinerary includes several provinces, rural communities or eco-lodges. Claro or Liberty may still outperform it at a particular beach, hotel or urban address.

Claro

Claro performed strongly in SUTEL’s 2025 4G speed measurements, recording the highest national average download speed among the three operators. Speed leadership does not prove broader geographic coverage, but it makes Claro a strong candidate for travelers spending most of their time in cities, larger towns and developed tourism corridors.

Claro commercially launched its expanded 5G network in 2025. By July 29, 2026, the company reported that its 5G service reached more than 2.1 million people across all seven provinces, with the greatest concentration in the Greater Metropolitan Area and continued growth in Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón. This is a population-focused figure, not a claim that 5G covers every road or rural district.

Travelers can use Claro’s official 5G coverage page to inspect current service areas. Outside mapped 5G zones, phones normally fall back to 4G LTE when compatible coverage is available.

Claro may be especially attractive for urban use and data-heavy activities, but its measured speed advantage should not be interpreted as proof of stronger signal in Monteverde, Corcovado or every remote coastal community.

Liberty

Liberty’s mobile network incorporates the Costa Rican operation previously run under the Movistar brand. It is now part of Liberty Latin America and competes nationally with Kölbi and Claro.

In SUTEL’s 2025 evaluation, Liberty recorded the strongest result for 4G coverage-map precision. Its field measurements matched its published 4G coverage claims more frequently than those of the other operators. Again, this indicates map accuracy rather than the largest geographic network.

Liberty launched the first commercial phase of its 5G network in March 2026. The early rollout emphasized tourism and commercial areas in Guanacaste, the Central Pacific and the Northern Zone, with further expansion planned. Its official Liberty 5G coverage map describes service as available in selected locations and expanding progressively.

Liberty can be competitive in populated areas, resorts and established travel corridors. Remote-road and jungle coverage should still be checked separately.

Coverage by region and itinerary

Operator maps are predictive, while crowdsourced tools reflect measurements made by actual users. nPerf’s Costa Rica coverage map lets travelers compare Kölbi, Claro and Liberty using recent user-generated 3G, 4G and 5G observations. Sparse data in a remote area does not necessarily mean no service, but it signals that extra preparation is sensible.

Destination or Route	Likely Coverage Pattern	Network Considerations	Traveler Advice
San José and the Greater Metropolitan Area	Usually the strongest multi-operator coverage	Claro’s speed and 5G expansion may be useful; indoor reception and congestion still vary	Check signal inside the hotel, not only outdoors
La Fortuna and Arenal	Generally usable in La Fortuna; more variable around the lake, volcano roads and isolated lodges	Kölbi is often considered for wider rural itineraries, but results vary by property	Save offline maps before driving around the lake
Monteverde and Santa Elena	Service may change quickly because of elevation, forest and steep terrain	No operator should be assumed to cover every lodge or reserve road	Ask the accommodation which network works on-site
Liberia, Tamarindo and Papagayo	Usually stronger in towns, resorts and airport corridors	Claro and Liberty are expanding 5G in Guanacaste; 4G remains the practical fallback	Expect weaker service on remote beaches and smaller coastal roads
Nicoya Peninsula	Developed towns may have usable 4G; isolated beaches can be inconsistent	Performance may change within a short distance	Keep offline directions and accommodation contact details
Quepos and Manuel Antonio	Generally stronger around Quepos and developed tourism areas	Hills, dense vegetation and park areas may reduce signal	Do not depend on mobile data inside trails or secluded coves
Puerto Viejo and the southern Caribbean	Usually better around towns and main roads	Jungle, beach roads and smaller settlements may have coverage gaps	Download transport and booking information in advance
Tortuguero	Limited and location-dependent outside the village and larger lodges	Boat-access routes and protected areas are difficult environments for every network	Confirm connectivity directly with the lodge
Osa Peninsula and Corcovado	Among Costa Rica’s most challenging areas for mobile service	Coverage may disappear on park trails, remote beaches and access roads	Treat lodge Wi-Fi and offline files as the main backup
Cerro de la Muerte and mountain highways	Signal may weaken in valleys, passes and forested sections	Handover between towers can cause brief disconnections	Avoid relying on a live connection for navigation
Border and remote agricultural regions	Town centers may have service, with gaps between communities	Roaming selection near borders can behave differently	Check the selected network and avoid unintended foreign roaming

Costa Rica Mobile Operators and Coverage: Kölbi vs Claro vs Liberty

In this article

Costa Rica mobile network overview

Kölbi, Claro and Liberty compared

Kölbi

Claro

Liberty

Coverage by region and itinerary

4G and 5G coverage

Tourist SIMs, eSIM and prepaid registration

Which Costa Rica network should travelers choose?

How Roafly fits

Need data in Costa Rica? Get an eSIM!

Frequently asked questions

Which mobile operator has the best coverage in Costa Rica?

Is Kölbi better than Claro for rural travel?

Does Costa Rica have 5G?

Can tourists buy a prepaid SIM in Costa Rica?

Which network works in Monteverde, Tortuguero or the Osa Peninsula?

Does Roafly use Kölbi in Costa Rica?