Brazil’s Anatel considers postponing the deadline for 5G network deployment in capital cities to September

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) is due to evaluate next Thursday, June 2, a proposal from the group coordinating the “cleansing” of the 3.5 GHz band to extend by two months the deadline for installing 5G in Brazil’s capital cities. That means major metropolitan areas could not release the technology until September.

The proposal was approved internally on May 11 by the Group for Monitoring the Implementation of Solutions to Interference Problems (Gaispi) in the 3.5 GHz band. The proposal would extend the deadline originally set in the 5G auction to release the fifth-generation mobile network signal by the end of July.

Originally, the auction notice stipulated that Brazilian telecom operators would be penalized if they did not make the technology available by July 31, but regulations stipulate that an extension of the deadline may be considered.

Gaispi proposed the postponement to Anatel because of problems with the supply of equipment needed to “clean” the 3.5 GHz band to avoid signal interference. As TudoCelular reports, the shortage of semiconductors is causing a delay in the delivery of kits that can convert open televisions to Ku-band.

This additional period of 60 days was foreseen in the public notice precisely for this type of situation. With this additional period, both the telecommunications sector and satellite users (including broadcasters) will have more certainty,” said Councilor Moisés Moreira, coordinator of Gaispi.

If approved by Anatel, the installation of 5G in Brazilian capitals should be completed by Aug. 29, and the signal should be operational by Sept. 29. Currently, only seven Brazilian cities have the necessary hardware for “pure 5G,” including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and Uberlândia.

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