Major Brazilian telecom operators are pushing ahead with their 4G and fiber deployments as they prepare for the upcoming 5G spectrum auction, scheduled for November 4.
Telefônica Brasil and TIM – two safe bets for next month's tender – are some of those accelerating deployments.
This week, Telefônica Brasil announced that it has taken its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network to seven more cities in two states, Minas Gerais and São Paulo.
Telefônica Brasil, which operates as Vivo, had reached over 17mn homes passed with fiber in Q2.
The company added 1.2mn FTTH customers in 12 months and reached 4.3mn in June, in 77 cities. The telco is the leader in that segment in Brazil.
The carrier invested 4.19bn reais (US$767mn) in the first half, up 18% year-over-year, 3.5bn reais of which went to networks, mostly 4G and fiber.
TIM, for its part, signed a partnership with the Minas Gerais government for the installation of antennas and the activation of 4G in 38 remote locations and districts currently lacking that connectivity in the state.
In parallel, the telco, which is the third largest wireless carrier in Brazil, said it intends to cover 213 new municipalities in Minas Gerais with 4G by the end of this year, reaching 810 municipalities in total.
TIM intends to take 4G to all municipalities in Minas Gerais by the end of 2022 and to all of Brazil by the end of 2023.
The company invested 2.23bn reais in the first half, up 41.4% year-over-year. At the end of June, its 4G network was present in 3,517 of Brazil’s 5,570 municipalities.
Together, major Brazilian operators Telefônica, TIM, Claro, Oi, Algar and Sercomtel invested 16.2bn reais in the first half, up 11.7% on a year earlier, according to telcos association Conexis.
One of the obligations in the 5G auction terms is that investments must also bring 4G to 2,300 small towns currently lacking it, in addition to 7,000 rural schools and federal roads.
The 5G tender will assign dozens of spectrum blocks in the 700MHz, 2.3GHz, 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands. It will be the largest spectrum offer in regulator Anatel's history.
Of the four frequency bands that will be awarded in the auction, two will be ‘hybrid’, suited to offer both 4G and 5G: the 700MHz and the 2.3GHz bands.
Anatel's board approved on September 24 the final version of the tender notice.
Submission of bids and documentation from interested parties can be made from October 27. The first session to open and analyze price proposals will be on November 4.
Shortly after the notice approval, TIM said it received the greenlight from its board to bid.
Telefônica’s Vivo has not yet officially confirmed its participation.
Although it made no comments following the approval of the notice, Claro previously said that it intended to acquire blocks in the 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands in the 5G auction.
Source: https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/brazilian-carriers-advance-4g-fiber-ahead-of-5g-tender