Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) has confirmed that its Superintendence of Grants and Resources is planning to issue subsidies to mobile operators, equipment vendors and end users to speed up the transition from legacy 2G and 3G technological standards to 4G and 5G platforms. The 30-day window to submit feedback regarding the proposal opened on 29 September.
Anatel noted: ‘Technological evolution is a constant phenomenon that drives progress in all areas of society. With regards to [mobile] systems, the transition from 2G and 3G technologies to more advanced technological standards, such as 4G and 5G is a necessary step to meet the demands of new applications and business models, in favour of the country’s digital transformation and in a way that directly benefits consumers, the various economic sectors and industry. Restricted or 2G/3G-only supported devices use spectrum less efficiently and, globally, their isolated ecosystems are becoming obsolete to meet the demands of current applications.’
According to Anatel’s data, as of August 2023 Brazil accounted for 21.479 million 2G subscriptions and 21.021 million 3G subscriptions. (Note: these figures include M2M connections.)