Send SMS to Costa Rica
from $0.0220/msg

import fetch from "node-fetch";

const apiKey = process.env.SMSROUTE_API_KEY;

const res = await fetch("https://api.smsroute.cc/v1/messages", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    to: "+5065551234567",
    from: "smsroute",
    text: "Your verification code is 384921",
  }),
});

console.log(await res.json());

import os, requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.smsroute.cc/v1/messages",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SMSROUTE_API_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "to": "+5065551234567",
        "from": "smsroute",
        "text": "Your verification code is 384921",
    },
    timeout=10,
)
resp.raise_for_status()
print(resp.json())

curl -X POST https://api.smsroute.cc/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SMSROUTE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+5065551234567",
    "from": "smsroute",
    "text": "Your verification code is 384921"
  }'

package main

import (
    "bytes"
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "net/http"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    payload, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]string{
        "to":   "+5065551234567",
        "from": "smsroute",
        "text": "Your verification code is 384921",
    })

    req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST",
        "https://api.smsroute.cc/v1/messages",
        bytes.NewBuffer(payload))
    req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("SMSROUTE_API_KEY"))
    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")

    resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
    if err != nil { panic(err) }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    fmt.Println(string(body))
}

<?php
$apiKey = getenv('SMSROUTE_API_KEY');

$payload = json_encode([
    'to'   => '+5065551234567',
    'from' => 'smsroute',
    'text' => 'Your verification code is 384921',
], JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE);

$ch = curl_init('https://api.smsroute.cc/v1/messages');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'Authorization: Bearer ' . $apiKey,
        'Content-Type: application/json',
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => $payload,
]);

echo curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

Mobile Operators and Market Reach in Costa Rica

Kolbi (operated by ICE): Market leader with 71% share of Costa Rica's 5.8 million mobile subscribers. Kolbi subscribers use 8-digit numbers typically starting with 8 or 6 (e.g., +506 8xxx xxxx). Direct interconnection with international A2P gateways is standard.

Claro Costa Rica: Second-largest operator with 21% market share. Also serves 8-digit numbers in the 8 and 6 ranges. Claro maintains high-volume A2P interconnects and typically has low bounce rates for valid numbers.

Movistar Costa Rica: Third major operator with 8% market share. Uses the same 8-digit numbering scheme (+506 8xxx xxxx / +506 6xxx xxxx). Movistar interconnects are direct and reliable for A2P SMS delivery.

Reach strategy: To achieve maximum coverage in Costa Rica, use a provider (like smsroute.cc) that maintains direct interconnects to all three carriers. This approach avoids the latency and failure rates associated with indirect routing through alternative wholesale partners. smsroute.cc's 242 ms p50 latency reflects direct connections to Kolbi, Claro, and Movistar.

Ley 8968 and Costa Rica's Data Protection Framework

Ley 8968 is Costa Rica's primary data protection statute. It defines personal data broadly and mandates explicit consent for all processing of personal data, including SMS marketing. Unlike GDPR (which applies to EU citizens regardless of location), Ley 8968 applies to all natural persons in Costa Rica.

SUTEL (https://www.sutel.go.cr/) enforces Ley 8968 and has published guidance on compliant sender IDs and messaging practices. The regulator does not disclose specific fine amounts publicly, but enforcement actions against major senders are documented in SUTEL's official enforcement records. To register your sender ID or request clarification, contact SUTEL directly with your business registration, use case description, and opt-in proof.

Pricing: smsroute.cc vs. Competitors

smsroute.cc's cost for Costa Rica SMS ($0.0220/msg) undercuts all major competitors. Twilio charges $0.0379, making smsroute 42% cheaper. No hidden fees, no monthly minimums, no per-request charges. Pay only for messages delivered. Billing is per-message; top-up your account with crypto and send on demand.

Latency and Delivery Performance

Latency (speed to reach the recipient's phone): smsroute.cc achieves a median delivery latency (p50) of 242 milliseconds to Costa Rica. The 95th percentile (p95) is 590 milliseconds. This speed is guaranteed through direct interconnects with Kolbi, Claro, and Movistar, bypassing third-party wholesale aggregators. For time-sensitive transactional messages (OTP codes, payment confirmations), this latency is critical; recipients expect codes within seconds.

Delivery success rate: smsroute.cc delivers 98.1% of SMS successfully to Costa Rican mobile numbers. The remaining 1.9% typically fail due to invalid phone numbers, recipient SIM suspension, network outages on the operator's side, or temporary SPAM blocking (which clears after a few retries). Always validate phone numbers in E.164 format (+506 8xxx xxxx) before sending and implement retry logic for transient failures.

Uptime: 99.9% uptime SLA. smsroute.cc maintains redundant infrastructure and failover routing to ensure your messages reach Costa Rica even if one interconnect is temporarily down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Pages

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