Latin America

Costa Rica clears ICE’s 5G transport-network contract award

The comptroller rejected an appeal concerning lots 4, 5 and 6. ICE must now formalise the contract; the decision does not mean 5G service is available.

Costa Rica’s Comptroller General rejected an appeal against the award of lots 4, 5 and 6 of the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) 5G network project. The decision confirmed the selection of IT Servicios de Infocomunicación for data transport, or backhaul, ICE reported on November 3. The ruling was notified on November 2, according to Delfino.cr and Semanario Universidad. This is procurement progress, not a commercial 5G launch. [1][2][3]

Backhaul connects access sites to the wider network. These three lots are separate from the radio-access and 5G core lots previously awarded to an Ericsson consortium, the two news outlets explained. The appeal challenged whether the selected company had manufacturer backing; the comptroller upheld the award. The news reports draw on the regulatory case file, while ICE’s statement confirms the operator’s next intended steps. [1][2][3]

ICE said it will now formalise the contract and arrange the required equipment. It gave no commercial activation date or coverage map resulting from this decision. The future network’s capabilities will depend on subsequent installation and commissioning. [1]

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