Brazilian carrier TIM confirmed that Ericsson and Huawei will be the suppliers of equipment for its 5G network, according to Brazilian press reports.
The operator’s CTIO, Leonardo Capdeville, confirmed that the intention of the company is to launch the 5G service before the deadline defined in Brazil’s auction rules, which is July 2022.
“We have a super short goal of being able to activate the capitals and the Federal District by July,” the executive said.
Both companies participated in proofs-of-concept with TIM, in Santa Catarina and Minas Gerais, respectively.
However, Capdeville suggested that other vendors could be selected in future phases of the 5G rollout. “It is a continuous process. We have to start with them, which does not mean that TIM Brasil will not be analyzing opportunities. We need to run because we know that the deadline is very short,” he said.
In October, TIM carried out tests of a 5G Standalone (SA) network in partnership with Ericsson, Motorola and Qualcomm.
The 5G NR CA SA data connection was established in TIM’s commercial network associated with its 3.5 GHz experimental network, aggregating non-contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz (n28) and 3.5 GHz (n78) bands.
5G NR CA performance was completed using Ericsson’s 5G SA RAN infrastructure, Motorola smartphones with Snapdragon 778G and 870 5G Mobile Platforms with Snapdragon X53 and X55 5G Modem-RF Systems.
Last month, Brazil raised a total of 47.2 billion reais ($8.5 billion) in its recent 5G spectrum auction.
Through this auction, the government awarded spectrum in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHZ and 26 GHz bands.
The government noted that the total raised includes the prices for the right to use licenses, and investment commitments tied to each band as well as the premium paid.
The country’s main mobile operators, Vivo, Claro and TIM, secured 5G spectrum as well as telecoms operators Algar Telecom and Sercomtel. Also, six new entrants secured 5G spectrum in the auction.
Vivo spent over 1.7 billion reais to acquire 5G licenses, followed by Telefonica’s Vivo, with over 1.1 billion reais and TIM, with an overall investment of over 1 billion reais. The government confirmed that these three telcos acquired spectrum in the 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands.
The rules previously approved by telecommunications watchdog Anatel 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.
