More than 100 million text messages were exchanged by Ticos celebrating the New Year. According to a report appearing on the online news daily Costa Rica Hoy. Ticos also made a record number of wireless telephone calls on New Year’s eve, about 15 million.

The figures were provided by ICE, the former communications monopoly that remains the largest wireless carrier despite the divestiture enacted last year. Movistar did not provide any figures related to wireless usage during New Year’s eve, but it claimed that many customers were attracted to its stores by year-end sales and special deals.

For many Ticos, text messaging is a favorite pastime and important means of communication, due to the low cost of SMS service in Costa Rica when compared to the rest of Latin America. Public institutions such as La Caja and Fuerza Pública make use of the wide reach of SMS as a platform for public service announcements, and SMS banking and money-transfer options via text messages may soon become commonplace.

Social messaging networks like Nimbuzz and Facebook for Any Phone that take advantage of WiFi and 3G networks are beginning to make somewhat of a splash in Costa Rica thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, but the fact that many users in remote areas do not enjoy reliable 3G connections makes SMS service a tried and true option for communications. The country’s weather, topography and vegetation makes it difficult to achieve absolute 3G mobile signal coverage down to the very last mile, and text messages are often useful to reach near-dead zones where signal strength is an issue.

Virtual operator TuYo Móvil -a streamlined operation of ICE- reported an interesting increase in international phone calls to China during the holidays. This is a reflection of a few trends: the strengthening of commercial ties with China, the increased number of Chinese tourists and immigrants arriving in Costa Rica, and the fact that Christianity is one of the fastest-growing religions in China. TuYo Móvil also reported that the increase in wireless usage during the holidays, including text messaging and international calls, rose by about 500 percent. Aside from China, the majority of calls were made to the United States, followed by Nicaragua, Colombia, and Panama.

If you have been following the US news recently you will have noticed that Apple technology is officially trying to “kill” the traditional text message communication medium, but it will still live on for the foreseeable future here in Costa Rica.