Brazil’s No. 2 carrier, TIM Brasil, announced it has chosen Cisco and its partner PromonLogicalis to manage the implementation of 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The Wi-Fi hotspots are part of the carrier’s strategy to address 3G offload, the demand from the growing number of connected devices and increased data traffic. Wi-Fi is considered an efficient and economical alternative to the 3G network.
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“Offloading via Wi-Fi is one of the main ways operators can offer users faster speeds for data applications, especially in areas of that have a high concentration of people, such as airports, stadiums and shopping centers, without the need for a large infrastructure investment or compromising the performance of 3G,” said Julian Nakasone, director of solutions at PromonLogicalis, in a statement.
Although 3G offload is new in Brazil, some carriers have announced 3G offload strategies. During the TM Forum Latin America Summit held earlier this year in São Paulo, TIM Brasil said it plans to unveil 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots distributed in the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The company plans to expand this initiative in other areas where there are large concentrations of both population and 3G traffic, such as other major communities, hotels, universities and football stadiums.
Brazil’s Oi is looking to set up 1 million hotspots over the few next years as part of its plans to address data growth. Last May, Oi released an Android application to improve the user experience when switching from 3G to Wi-Fi networks.
“TIM has been making consistent investments to leverage an improved user experience with the mobile Internet in Brazil. The project goal is to offer customers one more way to connect to the Web, simply and at high speed,” said Rafael Marquez, marketing director for TIM, in statement. He also noted that the project is part of the network expansion plan for World Cup 2014.
To carry Wi-Fi to its locations, TIM will use the fiber optic networks of Intelig Fiber and TIM. Intelig Fiber has a 15,000 kilometer network throughout Brazil, and TIM has a 5,500 km network in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In the project for TIM, PromonLogicalis will provide Cisco-made equipment and a set of professional services including technical consulting, implementation, operation support and infrastructure maintenance.
The Wi-Fi hotspots will be available to TIM customers who have data plans named Infinity and Liberty Web. The operator said it will also explore having some areas open for free access to the general public.
