Sistema De Emergencias 911 Costa Rica

What Sistema De Emergencias 911 Costa Rica does

Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 is a decentralized public institution of the Costa Rican government, established by Law N° 7566 on December 18, 1995 and attached to the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE). The entity operates the national unified emergency response coordination platform that receives emergency calls from across Costa Rica via the 9-1-1 telephone number and dispatches resources to 12+ affiliated first-response institutions, including Cruz Roja Costarricense, Cuerpo de Bomberos, Policía de Tránsito, OIJ, Ministerio de Seguridad Pública, Guardia Rural, Guardia Civil, hospitals, INAMU, PANI, and Instituto WEM. The underlying technology is a centralized telecommunications platform with integrated routing, call recording for evidentiary purposes, bilingual (Spanish/English) support, and the EMERGENCIAS 9-1-1CR mobile application for geolocation-enabled emergency reporting. The call center is located in Llorente de Tibás and the administrative headquarters are in the ICE Contact Center building in San Pedro, Montes de Oca.

The business model is non-commercial: emergency calls are free at point of use for all citizens and visitors, and the institution is funded through a parafiscal tax on telecommunications services mandated by Law N° 7566, collected from telephone service operators (fixed, prepaid, postpaid cellular, and IP telephony) as a monthly charge on telephone bills. Operations are additionally supported through ICE's administrative framework. Customers are not billed individually; the user base is the entire population of Costa Rica plus tourists and foreign residents who benefit from bilingual support. Beyond the core emergency service, the institution offers citizen-facing services including call certifications, complaints handling, fine consultation for improper calls, a job board, transparency portal, tax administration, and drill coordination.

From an investment perspective, the entity is not a conventional commercial venture — it is a legally mandated monopoly with no private ownership, no funding rounds, and no traditional revenue mechanics. Its strategic significance lies in its regulatory moat, distribution reach (universal telephone access), and the institutional lock-in created by the integrated network of emergency response partners.

Name

Sistema De Emergencias 911 Costa Rica

Legal name

Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1

Website

https://911.go.cr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 is Costa Rica's national public emergency coordination institution, operating the 9-1-1 call center and mobile app to dispatch emergency calls to 12+ affiliated first-response agencies serving all citizens and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Response Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Dispatch, Communications & Medical Control Centers (PSAP/ECC) (HLAFANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Center Operations & Managed Services (Remote Hands, NOC/SOC) (HDABANAA), Security Operations Center (SOC) as a Service (BPAEADAB)

Keywords

• Emergency response services
• Public safety coordination
• Emergency call center
• First responder dispatch
• Government emergency hotline

Headquarters

HQ city

San Juan, San Jose

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tasa Parafiscal (Parafiscal Tax): The 9-1-1 system is funded through a dedicated parafiscal tax on telephone services, collected from telephone service operators. This is a mandatory tax established by Law N° 7566, paid monthly by telephone service subscribers as part of their telephone bill.
2. Direct Government Budget Allocation: As an institution under the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), the system receives government funding through the ICE budget for operations and infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 is the national emergency call center and response coordination platform for Costa Rica. It operates 24/7, receiving emergency calls from citizens and visitors across the entire national territory via the 9-1-1 telephone number and the EMERGENCIAS 9-1-1CR mobile application, then dispatching and coordinating responses across 13+ affiliated government institutions including police, fire, medical, and rescue services. The service is free at point of use and funded through a parafiscal tax on telecommunications services.

Product overview

Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 is Costa Rica's national public safety emergency coordination service, operating as a unified platform that connects citizens to first responder institutions. The core product is the 9-1-1 emergency call system, which routes emergency calls to 13+ affiliated institutions including Cruz Roja, firefighters, police, and hospitals. The service is complemented by the EMERGENCIAS 9-1-1 CR mobile application that enables geolocated emergency reporting. Additional citizen-facing services include user attention, call certifications, job board, dissatisfaction forms, fine consultation, press section, transparency portal, tax administration, and simulacrum coordination—all accessible through the 9-1-1 website catalog.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 (Core Emergency Call Center Service) National unified emergency response service that receives emergency calls 24/7 from all telephone networks across Costa Rica (fixed, mobile, IP telephony) and dispatches resources to 13+ affiliated response institutions including Cruz Roja Costarricense, Cuerpo de Bomberos, Policía de Tránsito, OIJ, and hospitals. Provides bilingual Spanish-English support for tourists.
• App EMERGENCIAS 9-1-1 CR Mobile application for iOS and Android devices that enables citizens and visitors in Costa Rica to report emergencies and transmit geographic location data to the 9-1-1 system to improve response times and accuracy.
• Administración Tributaria (Parafiscal Tax Administration) Tax administration service for collection of the 9-1-1 parafiscal tax (tasa parafiscal) from telephone service operators, including forms for declarations and payment arrangements, established by Law N° 7566.
• Certificaciones de Llamadas (Call Certifications) Service for citizens to request official certifications, including call recordings and documentation, of emergency calls made to 9-1-1, intended for legal or administrative use and requiring identity verification.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI)majorOthers · 1 May 2001National Child Welfare Board incorporated into the 9-1-1 platform in May 2001 for child protection emergencies and underage crisis situations.
• Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres (INAMU)majorOthers · 1 January 2001National Women's Institute incorporated into the 9-1-1 platform in January 2001 to address gender-based violence emergencies and women's safety situations.
• Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 1995The Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 is legally mandated to be an agency (adscrito) under the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE). ICE provides the telecommunications infrastructure and administrative framework. This relationship was established by Law N° 7566 enacted December 18, 1995.
• Cruz Roja CostarricensecoreOthers · 21 January 1994Medical emergency response agency affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994, providing ambulance and medical services for health emergencies.
• Cuerpo de Bomberos (INS)coreOthers · 21 January 1994Firefighting and rescue services affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994, coordinated through the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS).
• Policía de TránsitocoreOthers · 21 January 1994Traffic police force affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994 for traffic-related emergencies and incident response.
• Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ)coreOthers · 21 January 1994Judicial investigation agency affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994 for criminal investigation and forensic response.
• Ministerio de Seguridad PúblicacoreOthers · 21 January 1994Ministry of Public Security affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994, coordinating police and security emergency response.
• Guardia RuralcoreOthers · 21 January 1994Rural guard force affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994 for rural security and emergency response.
• Guardia CivilcoreOthers · 21 January 1994Civil guard force affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994 for civil security and emergency response.
• Hospitales y Centro Nacional de Control de IntoxicacionescoreOthers · 21 January 1994Hospital network and poison control center affiliated with the 9-1-1 system since its founding in 1994 for medical emergency coordination.
• Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones (MICITT)minorOthersGovernment ministry overseeing telecommunications regulations, appears in tax documentation and regulatory communications related to the 9-1-1 system's telecommunications operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ADT Inc. Major commercial security and alarm monitoring company operating 24/7 monitoring centers that dispatch emergency responders. Comparable in its always-on monitoring and dispatch function, but serves commercial/residential security subscribers rather than being a national public PSAP.

Direct peers

• C5 Ciudad de México: Mexico City's Command, Control, Computing, Communications, and Citizen Contact Center (C5). Comparable function as a centralized PSAP with video surveillance, emergency call handling, and multi-agency dispatch for a Spanish-speaking jurisdiction.
• 911 Emergencias México: Mexico's national 9-1-1 emergency response system, also a unified PSAP coordinating calls across federal, state, and municipal first responders. Comparable structure: national coverage, multi-agency coordination, and Spanish-language emergency dispatch in Latin America.
• Sistema de Emergencias 911 Colombia: Colombia's national 9-1-1 emergency line and dispatch coordination system. Operates as a centralized PSAP routing emergency calls to police, fire, and medical responders across Colombia — directly comparable in mandate, function, and customer base to Costa Rica's 9-1-1 system.

Emerging players

• RapidSOS: Emergency response data platform that delivers real-time device, sensor, and location data to PSAPs and first responders. Functionally adjacent — enhances legacy PSAP capabilities and is increasingly integrated into modern 911 systems globally.
• Carbyne: Cloud-based emergency call management platform providing PSAPs with video, location, and IoT data integration. Comparable as an emergency-dispatch technology layer and a potential modernization partner or competitor to legacy PSAP infrastructure.

Others

• International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED): Standards-setting and accreditation body for emergency dispatch protocols (Medical, Fire, Police priority dispatch systems). Relevant as the ecosystem body that defines how PSAPs like Costa Rica's 9-1-1 triage and prioritize calls.

Regional players

• NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM): Coordinates emergency response and 311/911 systems in New York City. Comparable as a city-level emergency dispatch and coordination entity, though more focused on disaster preparedness and inter-agency coordination than direct call handling.
• London Ambulance Service: UK's largest ambulance service operating a 24/7 emergency dispatch center coordinating medical, fire, and police responses in London. Functionally comparable as a PSAP, but operates as an NHS trust rather than a centralized multi-agency coordinator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/9_1_1CR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGe4yiyLmRlvGv7a4EY3RyA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Sistema-de-Emergencias-9-1-1-Costa-Rica-364129593611839
• Instagraminstagram.com/sistema_de_emergencias_9_1_1cr/?hl=es-la
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sistema-de-emergencias-911-costa-rica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sistema De Emergencias 911 Costa Rica