RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Vice-Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communications, Júlio Semeghini, said on Monday, July 22nd, that the government intends to hold the 5G auction by the end of the first semester of next year.
Attending the Smart City Business Expo Brazil event in São Paulo, he stressed that this technology — capable of increasing internet traffic speed, among other infrastructure improvements — would be crucial to implementing smart city projects.
On July 7th, the federal government launched a public consultation to hear society on the national strategy proposal for the deployment of 5G networks in Brazil.
Speaking to an audience comprised of municipal administrators and technology companies, Semeghini emphasized the federal government’s proposal that the Fund for the Universalization of Telecommunications Services (FUST) be used as a source of funding to enable projects in smart cities.
Municipalities that develop reference technology projects were awarded during the event. Among the 20 outstanding cities is the state capital of Paraná, Curitiba, with the ‘Faróis do Saber e Inovação’ project (“Beacons of Knowledge and Innovation”). The initiative turned public libraries and lan houses into “maker spaces,” where technological innovation stimulation methodologies are applied.
“The concept is to share the culture of innovation with the children of Curitiba. Our tradition now wants to produce a culture of innovation. Robotics in schools, spaces for makers, beacons of knowledge and innovation, a broad project to share knowledge and prepare the city for a disruptive economy,” said Rafael Greca, the mayor of Curitiba.
A further example came from the city of Mogi das Cruzes, near the city of São Paulo, which was awarded a prize for its “Polo Digital” project (Digital Pole). The initiative connects entrepreneurs and encourages regional talents to build companies that positively impact the municipality, the state, and the country. The goal is to support the establishment of 55 new startups by 2020, affecting approximately 200,000 people.
While not registering projects for the award, the São Paulo City Hall, as the event’s host, was acknowledged for its “Empreenda Fácil” (Easy Enterprise) and “Zeladoria Online” (Online Caretaker) projects. The former speeds up the process of opening companies in the municipality. According to the city government, the period went from 100 to five days. The “Sistema de Gerenciamento de Zeladoria” (Caretaker Management System), in turn, monitors services such as pothole filling, conservation of public areas, tree pruning, sweeping, cleaning of streams, anti-graffiti painting, and inspection.
The mayor of Vitória, capital of Espírito Santo, Luciano Rezende, noted that the drive for the use of new technologies in public services stemmed from the budgetary difficulties that the city faced. “We only had one way out: to use an entire technology system to provide services and bring the city into a true 21st-century government,” he said. Through the Vitória Online App, citizens have access to various municipal services.
The Smart City Expo Brazil runs until July 24th. The event congregates experts and leaders of innovating initiatives that may be implemented in smart city projects.