Liberty Costa Rica commercially launched the first sites of its 5G network across multiple regions on using gear from Ericsson, with plans to achieve national coverage before the end of this year.
Liberty Costa Rica said it’s prioritising tourism in its initial 5G phase, with rollouts covering tourist and commercial hubs in Guanacaste, the Central Pacific, and the Northern Zone. Tourism accounts for roughly 8.2% of GDP and 15.5% of jobs in Costa Rica.
The rollout combines 5G deployment in the 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands to improve capacity, indoor penetration, and service continuity. Liberty’s network also supports fixed wireless access (FWA) services, delivering high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses, especially in areas where fibre or cable infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
According to Ericsson, the live network is delivering download speeds exceeding 1 Gbps and upload speeds above 100 Mbps, enabling seamless streaming, instant downloads, low‑latency cloud and video conferencing, and power AR/VR, telemedicine, remote education, smart logistics, public safety, and industrial automation – all of which Ericsson said will transform tourism, retail and public services nationwide.
“This deployment, led by ICT leaders, reflects our commitment to the digitalization of Costa Rica – boosting connectivity, strengthening strategic sectors, and creating opportunities for people, businesses, and communities to harness the full potential of this next-generation technology,” said Sean Cryan, head of LATAM North and Caribbean at Ericsson.
The launch follows a six-year strategic contract signed by Ericsson and Liberty Latin America in July last year to deploy 5G Standalone (5G SA) technology in Costa Rica.
Liberty Costa Rica and rival telco Claro each paid $16.2 million for 5G spectrum rights in January 2025.
