Country has 12,000 5G cell sites as first anniversary approaches

Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) has revealed that more than 12,000 5G cell sites are now in service as the country approaches the first anniversary of its 5G Standalone (SA) launches.

3.5GHz services went live in the first week of July 2022 and all three of the major players claimed operational 3.5GHz networks in all state capitals and the Federal District (Distrito Federal) by 6 October 2022, in line with the conditions of their respective licences. A total of 1,610 towns and cities have now been approved for 3.5GHz SA 5G use, equating to 141 million Brazilians, or 66.4% of the population.

With 10.082 million 5G subscriptions in service as of 31 May 2023 (most recent official data), Anatel counsellor Moises Moreira claims that 5G uptake is ‘almost three times greater than that of 4G technology in the same period’, exceeding the government’s expectations.