The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has officially awarded the infrastructure contract for its fifth-generation network to the Swedish giant Ericsson.However, despite the “Awarded” status appearing in the Integrated Public Procurement System (Sicop), the legal battle may not be over.

​The $97 Million Decision

​On April 28, ICE confirmed the recommendation to award items 1, 2, and 3 of the 5G infrastructure tender to Ericsson. The total investment for these segments is set at $97,761,433.

​While this marks a definitive step forward, legal experts warn that the door for challenges remains open. According to telecommunications lawyer Juan Manuel Campos, the General Law of Public Procurement (Law 9986) allows for a “motion for reconsideration” (recurso de revocatoria).

Note: Under Article 99 of the law, disqualified bidders can challenge the final act, though the appeal is reviewed by ICE itself rather than an external body.

Competitors in the Shadows: Samsung and Huawei

The road to this award was highly competitive. Two tech titans were disqualified during the process, leaving their next moves uncertain:

• *Samsung: Submitted a bid for $128.7 million.

*Huawei: Submitted a bid for $138.9 million.

​When questioned about potential appeals, neither company confirmed nor denied their intent to challenge the decision. Meanwhile, the Coasin-Nokia consortium secured a separate portion of the project (items 4, 5, and 6) for radio base connectivity services, valued at $24 million.

​Technical Edge: Open RAN and Stand Alone (SA)

​This new network isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a total overhaul. The IMT-2020 network design follows two modern standards:

1. ​Open RAN: This architecture ensures interoperability between different hardware and software providers, moving away from closed, proprietary systems.
2. ​Stand Alone (SA): Unlike “Non-Stand Alone” networks that piggyback on 4G LTE infrastructure, the SA model requires entirely new infrastructure, offering the full speed and low-latency benefits of 5G.

A Race Against Time

The award comes after three years of delays and at least four postponements. Notably, the resolution was signed just ten days before the conclusion of the Chaves Robles administration

Luis Adrián Salazar, former Minister of Science and Technology, views this as a vital sign of life for the local market.

​”A more dynamic market, with all operators deploying 5G under equitable conditions… is fundamental to consolidate Costa Rica as a regional technological hub,” Salazar stated.

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