The European Union, through its Delegation to Costa Rica, has launched a free 14-week training program called Sandbox 5G, starting 14 July 2026, that gives companies access to real 5G infrastructure to test and validate business use cases. The initiative, announced on 24 June 2026, targets operations managers, technology and innovation officers, entrepreneurs, and developers who need technical and financial evidence before investing in 5G.
The program is implemented by the Foundation for the Internationalization of Public Administrations (FIAP) together with Costa Rica's Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) and the Costa Rican Promoter of Innovation and Research (PCII). Unlike traditional courses focused on theory or success stories, Sandbox 5G offers hands-on access to a physical 5G testbed at PCII offices for two days per week over 14 weeks, with an estimated 118 hours of work.
Participants will design experiments and validation protocols for their specific use cases, then test applications such as asset monitoring, industrial automation, remote equipment control, predictive maintenance, traceability, and Internet of Things (IoT). The program also covers advanced 5G features like Network Slicing. A financial analysis phase helps build business cases, including return on investment estimates, total cost of ownership, comparisons with alternative technologies, and operational benefit projections.
At the end, companies receive personalized technical reports, validation results from real conditions, and expert recommendations to support strategic decisions on adopting advanced digital technologies. A Demo Day will allow participants to present their results to the national innovation ecosystem.
The program is free but has limited capacity due to the lab's operational constraints. Registration is available online. The EU delegation noted that 5G adoption in Costa Rica is progressing, and organizations that generate their own evidence on applications will be better positioned to identify opportunities, optimize investments, and build new business models based on advanced connectivity.