Cellcos allowed to launch SA 5G in Belem, Macapa, Manaus, Porto Velho and Rio Branco from today

Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) has confirmed that the country’s national mobile operators are permitted to launch Standalone (SA) 5G services using the 3.5GHz frequency band in a further five state capitals from today (6 October).

The latest locations to receive the green light are as follows: Belem (capital of Para), Macapa (Amapa), Manaus (Amazonas), Porto Velho (Rondonia) and Rio Branco (Acre). With this action, all 26 state capitals – and federal capital Brasilia – have now been approved for SA 5G connectivity. The watchdog notes that a total of 5,275 SA 5G base stations have been activated in Brazilian capitals to date – double the minimum commitment previously established. This total represents 6% of the overall 93,159 cell sites in the country. By 2025, 6,370 5G base stations must be installed in the state capitals. In total, the state capitals are home to nearly a quarter of the Brazilian population.