Costa Rica launches public consultation on 5G tender

Costa Rica’s telecoms regulator Sutel started a mobile spectrum tender process with a public call for comments and observations on a possible process, the amounts of spectrum required, deadlines and applications for the bands.

A question on the interest of developing private mobile networks is also included.

The 2027 telecoms development plan identified bands to be assigned in 2023 and 2024, including those for 5G. These are 90MHz in the 700MHz band, 100MHz in the 2,300MHz band, 190MHz in the 2,600MHz band, 100MHz in the 3,300-3,400MHz band, 200MHz in the 3,500MHz band, 1,200MHz in the 26GHz band and 2,000MHz in the 28GHz band.

The 2,600MHz and 3,500MHz bands are subject to a recovery process. In September 2022, the government and state company ICE reached an agreement on the return of spectrum in the 3,400MHz-3,500MHz and 3,600MHz-3,625MHz bands.

Back then, it was expected that a 5G tender could be launched within 18 months.

The public consultation will be open for 10 days and is accessible via Sutel's website.

5G TESTS

ICE and Universidad de Costa Rica carried out a 5G test, reaching 1,000Mbps.

The demo will be implemented at ICE’s headquarters in San Pedro de Montes de Oca.

ICE, which will keep a portion of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band to offer 5G services, received a letter of interest in November from the US Exim Bank for a US$300mn 5G project credit line.