Ericsson has been tapped by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad's (ICE) to be the main network supplier for the carrier's 5G network deployment in Costa Rica.

Although it was confirmed in May that Ericsson had landed the contract, estimated to be worth $220 million, the vendor revealed further details last week.

The agreement will see Ericsson provide its 5G RAN and 5G Core for ICE's network. Ericsson said it will deploy its dual-mode 5G Core, alongside 4G and 5G RAN solutions.

State-owned ICE provides mobile services through its retail brand Kölbi. Ericsson's contract with the carrier will pave the way for use cases such as network slicing, cybersecurity, open and standardized interfaces, advanced management capabilities, and LTE RAN expansion.

The 5G network will be based on 5G Standalone (5G SA) and LTE radio nodes, and a comprehensive 5G Core solution.

Ericsson's agreement with ICE also includes the use of the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), which is the company’s network management and automation platform for open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks. This supports all 4G and 5G RAN, plus Ericsson-provided core networks.

The partnership will also see ICE trial a cluster of AI-powered Anomal Optimization rApps from Ericsson on the platform to improve detection, optimization, and resilience across the network.

"We reiterate our strong commitment to Costa Rica, and our priority is to provide cutting-edge technology that meets the highest standards of quality, security and performance, enabling ICE and the country to fully realize the benefits of 5G and elevate their service portfolio for customers, citizens and institutions, while supporting the continued growth of connectivity in Costa Rica," said Sean Cryan, customer unit head for Latam North & Caribbean at Ericsson.

DCD previously reported that the 5G network will go live in the next 12 months as part of a phased rollout.

The contract win is not the first for Ericsson in Costa Rica, with the vendor also working with Liberty Costa Rica to deploy 5G Standalone services in the country. Meanwhile, Claro has also deployed its 5G network in the country.