Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) has confirmed that the country’s 3.5GHz spectrum holders have been permitted to launch Standalone (SA) 5G services in Sao Paulo from Thursday 4 August.
As per the licensing conditions, each of the 3.5GHz licensees – Telefonica Brasil (Vivo), Claro and TIM Brasil – are each obliged to install 154 5G base stations in Sao Paulo by 29 September, for a total of 462 antennas. However, Anatel notes that it has already received 1,378 antenna requests, suggesting that initial 5G coverage will comfortably surpass the level stipulated.
As previously reported by CommsUpdate, Brasilia was the first location green-lit for SA 5G, with Vivo, TIM and Claro all switching on 5G during the week commencing 4 July. Belo Horizonte, Joao Pessoa, Porto Alegre were next in line to receive 5G, with services going live from 29 July.
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