Suriname lacks a comprehensive regime for the protection of trade secrets.

There is no obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in the country to deliver telecom services to end users, and it is not practised in both the mobile and fixed sectors.

According to the Art. 2-3 (Chapter 2) of the Explanatory Memorandum of the Telecommunications Act, the government is the sole shareholder in TELESUR, one of the two telecommunications companies currently active in the country.

It is reported that Suriname does not mandate functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there is an obligation of accounting separation for operators with SMP according to Art. 18 of the Telecommunications Act (Interconnection Decree No. 25).

According to Art. 9 of the Telecommunications Facilities Act, it is prohibited to build, develop, and operate telecommunications infrastructure without a concession granted by a resolution of the President, upon the advice of the Minister, after hearing the opinion of the Telecommunications Authority of Suriname (TAS). In addition, a concession is granted to a legal person incorporated under Suriname law and established in Suriname. According to the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Application and Renewal Form, among the documents required for the licensing processes, foreigners must also present a copy of a valid residency document.
Pursuant to Art. 9.4, a concession shall only be granted if it serves to promote the efficient provision of telecommunications in the general social and economic interest. Furthermore, a concession shall be granted once the legal person demonstrates that it has at least sufficient financial resources, technical expertise, organisational capacity, and experience in telecommunications (Art. 9.5).
According to Arts. 13 and 36, every provider of telecommunication services is obliged to obtain a license from the Telecommunication Authority of Suriname (TAS) for regulated and non-regulated services and to fulfil obligations according to the ITU Convention.

Suriname has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

It is reported that the Telecommunication Authority of Suriname (TAS), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent of the government in the decision-making process. Yet, according to Art. 2 of the Decision Institution TAS 1998, its director is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister. Pursuant to Art. 3, the TAS is charged with the preparation, implementation, and control of the tasks assigned to the Minister on telecommunication as an independent authority in the decision-making process.

Suriname has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders.

Suriname does not have a comprehensive regime of data protection in place. Art. 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Suriname 1987 provides the baseline for the implementation of a more specific framework as it states that everyone has a right to respect their privacy. Moreover, the Electronic Legal Transactions Act, specifically Arts. 54, 72-74, establishes a framework for the management of personal identification data collected by service providers, inclusive of governmental entities, in the context of electronic transactions.

It has been reported that several journalists, members of the political opposition, and other independent entities denounced government interference and illegal monitoring of email and social network accounts.

Suriname has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

According to Art. 7.1 of the Tender Regulations for Works in Suriname 1996 (AWS 1996), every tenderer must have a valid contractor's permit and must be registered in the Trade of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKF) to be eligible for the award of the work.

It is reported that Suriname lacks overall transparency within its tendering process in diverse public procurement processes.

Suriname is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.

Suriname does not implement any limits on foreign investment.