Representatives of the unions Asdeice (Association of Industrial Communications and Energy Employees) and SIICE (Union of ICE Engineers and Professionals) questioned the route taken by the Government for the development of the fifth generation cellular technology (5G) network in Costa Rica, and assured that there is a possible alternative route that will save country for many years.

The unions assured at a press conference that the strategy of ICE and RACSA to return to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) some of their radio spectrum frequencies, which are most valuable for the development of this network, will take a long time. the process is still: not only must legal proceedings take place on these frequency returns (they are assigned by law), but a bidding process must be organized, which the Public Service Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) estimates in about two years. Next, a process must be put in place to provide an enabling title and run this service.

For unions, there is a faster route, which has experience in countries such as Italy, the UK and Japan. They advocate the development of a neutral network, which allows virtual networks to be assigned to different clients. “5G technology provides many facilities for its use, where Slicing or NaaS (Networld as a Service) services are obtained, which provides the possibility for customers to get the capabilities of these networks in flexible consumption offerings,” they pointed out. shared manifest.

The development of the fifth generation cellular network is a pending issue for Costa Rica. The government of President Carlos Alvarado initiated a procedure against ICE to investigate possible non-compliance with frequency use in March 2022, but the Government of President Rodrigo Chaves did not follow through on the initiative, which if prosecuted could take years. Instead, Chaves issued a directive on May 8, so that within six months the ICE frequencies would be returned or available to develop 5G technology. According to experts, the commitment to return to frequency through mutual agreement is a path that has been explored in 2018 with little progress.

Union leaders insisted that this neutral network could be developed by ICE, and that it would save the country years of being able to operate a fifth-generation cellular network. “From the Internal Workers Front, we believe that the country needs a 5G network as soon as possible. But creating hope that the state will be able to that with the return of ICE frequencies, which are attractive to the private sector, the state will be able to have 5G services in less time, is a mirage,” said César López, from Asdeice.

They assured that a single physical network, not three networks and the respective processes of contests, concessions, appeals, will save the country years and resources. In addition, they requested a meeting with President Chaves to discuss the matter.