Fifteen companies, including the three largest operators in the country -Telefónica, Claro and TIM- registered to take part in Brazil’s upcoming 5G auction, scheduled for November 4.
The auction will award spectrum in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHZ and 26 GHz bands.
Mobile operator Vivo, owned by Spanish operator Telefónica; Claro, owned by Mexico’s America Mobile ;and Telecom Italia’s subsidiary TIM are part of the list of companies that submitted their proposals to local telecommunications regulator Anatel.
Other companies that registered to take part in the process include Algar Telecom, Brasil Digital Telecom, Brisanet, Cloud2U Indústria e Comércio de Equipamentos Eletronicos, Consorcio 5G Sul, FlyLink, Mega Net, Neko Servicio de Comunicao, NK 108 Empreendimentos e Participacoes-Highline Sercomtel, VDF Tec Inform and Winity II Telecom.
All these firms submitted their proposals in a sealed envelope, which will only be opened on the auction day. According to local press reports, Vivo, Claro and TIM are likely to dispute the national licenses to operate in the 3.5 GHz band.
Anatel expects to award blocks of spectrum in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands over a 20-year period. The Brazilian government expects to attract approximately 50 billion reais ($9.37 billion) in bids. Successful bidders will also be required to invest 40 billion reais and provide connectivity to highways across the country, as well as thousands of schools.
The rules approved by the watchdog also stipulate that 5G should be deployed across Brazilian state capitals by July 31, 2022.
Brazilian cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants will have 5G by July 31, 2025, while the deadline for the rollout of the service in locations with more than 200,000 inhabitants is July 31, 2026. Also, Brazilian cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants will have 5G by July 31 2027, and the service will be available in locations with more than 30,000 inhabitants by July 31, 2028.
The rules also oblige operators to cover the vast northern Amazon region with broadband connectivity, chiefly using optic fiber cables laid in rivers, and build a separate secure network for the federal government.
Brazilian operators TIM and Claro have already launched limited 5G offerings via DSS technology.
Anatel opted not to implement any restrictions on the use of Huawei’s 5G network equipment, meaning that the Chinese company is likely to take part in the commercial deployment of 5G technology across Brazil.
However, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has previously urged the Brazilian authorities not to use Huawei Technologies equipment in the country’s 5G telecommunications network.
