SAN JOSE – Wireless carriers Claro and Movistar will introduce the long-awaited Lumia line of Nokia smartphones powered by the Microsoft Windows Phone Operating System on June 1^st. According to Pablo Fonseca, who covers technology topics for national newspaper La Nacion, the two new wireless providers issued press releases on Thursday afternoon announcing their intentions of offering the Nokia Lumia 710 and 800 models in Costa Rica starting this Friday.

Claro will offer both Lumia 710 and 800 models, while Movistar will only offer the Lumia 800, at least for the time being. Former wireless communication monopoly ICE has not made an announcement regarding the new Nokia smartphones. Both Lumia models feature a 3.7 inch screen and a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, however the Lumia 800 is a superior model. These will be the first modern Windows Phone smartphones offered in Costa Rica.

According to La Nacion, Claro will offer the Lumia 710 for free, as long the user signs up for a subscription agreement that ranges between 18,500 and 37,000 colones per month based on the number of minutes, text messages and data plans chosen. The Lumia 800 will also be offered for free with plans that start at 32,000 colones per month.

Movistar will offer the Lumia 800 with 24-month contracts that begin at 34,000 colones. The Lumia 800 is priced at about $710 for those who would like to purchase it from Movistar with no strings attached.

While the Apple iPhone has been warmly welcomed in Costa Rica, and the Android-powered smartphones and tablets are taking away market share from the iDevices, Nokia is a brand that Ticos trust. The Nokia 2730 Classic was selected by The Costa Rica Star as the Phone of the Year in 2011. When ICE abruptly upgraded to the 3G network in 2010, it left many 2G customers in the dark after their branch offices ran out of 3G-compatible handsets. The candybar Nokia 2730 Classic was the cheapest entry ($180) to the new 3G network at the time, and as a result it became the most sought-after cell phone in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica also holds a record in relation to Nokia use. According to the Latin American public relations arm of the Finnish cell phone manufacturer, Ticos downloaded more apps per capita from the Ovi Store in 2010 than in any other country in the world. The overwhelming majority of those downloads, however, consisted of free digital content. Lumia owners will now be able to get content from the Microsoft Windows Phone Marketplace.

• Read the full specs of the Nokia Lumia 710 here.
• Read the full specs of the Nokia Lumia 800 here.