Optical fiber represents two-thirds of fixed broadband in Brazil

The present moment couldn’t be more interesting for those who belong to the dial-up era. A panel released by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) shows that, in Brazil, two-thirds (66%) of fixed broadband connections are based on fiber. This proportion corresponds to almost 28 million contracts.

This scenario is a noticeable effect of the modernization of the telecom infrastructure in the country. It is a movement that started mainly to benefit large urban centers but which has been (and continues to be) gradually expanded to small towns and suburbs.

The most recent survey carried out by Anatel corresponds to June 2022. The panel shows that, in the period, fixed broadband in Brazil was distributed among the following technologies:

• Fiber optic: 66%
• Coaxial cable: 21.5%
• Metallic cable: 7.7%
• Radio: 4%
• Satellite: 0.8%

The sum of these technologies corresponds to 42.1 million fixed broadband contracts. If we look only at optical fiber, there are 27.8 million contracted connections.

VIVO LEADS IN FIBER OPTICS

Considering the overall picture (including all technologies), Claro appears as the operator with the highest number of customers in fixed broadband: 23.2% because the company dominates the coaxial cable segment with 98.7% of contracts.

However, highlighting only fiber optics, Vivo is the leader. Claro appears in a distant fifth place:

• Vivo: 18.2%
• Oi: 14.4%
• Brisanet: 3.5%
• Algar: 2.7%
• Claro: 2.6%

TIM also appears in the list, but in the ninth position, with 1.8% participation.

If you access the Internet via fiber, there is a good chance that you do it through a local provider, which is limited to a few neighborhoods or small towns. These companies are classified as “Other” in Anatel’s list, with 44.8% participation.

It is remarkable how much small carriers contribute to providing fiber optic services. Often, these companies operate in areas that attract little interest from large operators or are on their radar but within an expansion timetable that can take months or even years to complete.

The transformation brought about by fiber optics is unquestionable. With this type of technology, connections are more stable and faster. A report released by Ookla a year ago mentioned fixed broadband as 70% faster in Brazil because of fiber.

This percentage is probably higher nowadays. It is already relatively easy to find plans with at least 100 Mb/s (megabits per second). Because of this, watching high-resolution videos via streaming or playing online games with low latencies, for example, are activities that are already part of many Brazilians’ routines.

Not to mention that the prices are also increasingly attractive. For example, the Vivo plan in São Paulo costs R$99 for 200 Mb/s download and 100 Mb/s upload. In many places, the price per megabit is even lower.

5G IS ALREADY KNOCKING AT THE DOOR

Fiber optics follow a good pace of expansion throughout Brazil, but 5G is starting to take shape in the mobile market. Vivo, TIM, and Claro activated 3.5 GHz 5G networks in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), João Pessoa (Paraíba), and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul) at the end of July, to name one recent example.

With information from Tecnoblog