Costa Rican Court Suspends Exclusion Of Huawei As A 5G Provider

A Costa Rican court has issued a temporary injunction suspending the implementation of a government order banning Chinese supplier Huawei as a supplier of 5G technology in the country, local press reported.

The order states that the suspension will remain in effect “until this agency receives additional evidence to make a final decision on the provisional application.”

This action was requested by the Internal Action Front (FIT) of the Electricity Institute of Costa Rica (ICE).

In August 2023, the President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chávez, adopted a decree whose main objective is to regulate the use of 5G mobile networks, banning the activities of companies from countries that have not signed the International Convention against Cybercrime . The ban applies in particular to technology companies from China, South Korea, Russia and Brazil.

Chavez issued the order shortly after U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson's visit to Costa Rica, where she questioned growing Chinese investment in Latin America's infrastructure, including 5G networks.

Several countries, including the US, UK, Australia and Japan, have effectively banned Huawei from their 5G networks or imposed restrictions.

Costa Rican government officials have previously expressed concern about potential cybersecurity threats from Chinese vendors as the country develops 5G networks, local press reported.

Costa Rica's Minister of Science, Technology and Communications said Chinese suppliers posed a threat to the security of the emerging digital network, while another senior ministry official described the Chinese government as "totalitarian."

In response, the Chinese embassy in the country criticized the remarks, saying they undermine economic relations between the two countries.

“These comments seriously undermine the trust and expectations of Chinese companies in carrying out trade and economic activities in Costa Rica and undermine the good energy of developing bilateral relations,” the embassy said in a statement.

The statement goes on to say that China considers these comments "irresponsible and baseless."