For decades, copper lines were the backbone of business telecommunications in Costa Rica — silent, reliable, invisible. But in 2026, the mass retirement process is well underway, and most companies are not ready for the transition.
What the copper shutdown actually means
The “copper shutdown” is the process by which telecommunications operators are discontinuing twisted-pair copper infrastructure — the same infrastructure that has carried telephone calls and ADSL data for over a century — and replacing it with fiber optics and IP technology. In Costa Rica, ICE and private operators are in advanced phases of fiber optic deployment that makes the elimination of the copper network technically viable in urban areas.
Why this affects your business now
If your company has analog telephone lines, a traditional PBX switchboard, fax machines, alarm systems connected by telephone line, or ADSL connections, you are directly exposed to the impact of the copper shutdown. We have documented cases of Costa Rican companies that lost their telephone lines without warning because the operator retired the copper pair in their area and the company had no migration plan.
Migrating to VoIP: what it actually involves
- Replacing the traditional PBX with an IP exchange (on-premises or in the cloud).
- Ensuring the LAN has QoS configured to prioritize voice traffic.
- Having a reliable SIP trunk provider with defined service level agreements.
- Evaluating whether existing phones are VoIP-compatible or require replacement.
- Maintaining a contingency plan for communications continuity during internet outages.
Migration is also an opportunity: VoIP enables mobile extensions, call recording, intelligent IVR, CRM integration, and integrated video conferencing.
The risk of not migrating in time
- Communications outage with no contingency plan: the migration process can take weeks.
- Rushed migration with poor configuration: a misconfigured VoIP exchange can generate thousands of dollars in fraudulent international calls within hours.
- Unaccounted auxiliary systems: security alarms, elevator phones, and monitoring systems that use analog lines go offline if not explicitly migrated.
Does your company have analog lines, a PBX, or ADSL that depends on copper? AVN Networks designs and implements zero-downtime VoIP migrations for companies in Costa Rica. Consult your specific case.