Is the model of telecoms liberalisation being replicated in the electricity sector?

Reports11 June 2026
The debate surrounding the text updated on 20 October 2025 in file 23.414 not only proposes a transformation of Costa Rica’s electricity sector, but also invites an inevitable comparison: are we looking at a model similar to the one that shaped the telecommunications market in 2008?

The answer is yes … but with significant structural differences.


Both the telecommunications model and the one proposed for the electricity market share common elements of institutional and economic design.


In the downloadable PDF, our expert, Erick Jiménez, provides a comprehensive analysis based on six reasons.

Una vista nocturna de una ciudad iluminada con torres y nubes en el horizonte.

Beyond the comparison with telecommunications, the updated Electricity Model follows its own logic: it combines economic competition with the technical coordination required to ensure the balance of the electricity system.


This is explained by the nature of the sector: whilst in telecommunications we have differentiable services and independent operation, in electricity the product is homogeneous, with an instantaneous balance between supply and demand.

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