5G in Brazil: benefits, questions, and challenges Connection with greater range, efficiency, and speed.
5G is the next generation mobile internet network, with more speed, content, real-time interaction, and new interfaces. Its standards will allow in advances and transformations in health, education, public safety, industries, mining, logistics, leisure, smart cities, and agribusiness. The new generation of technology will allow Brazil to progress towards a hyperconnected economy
By Dilnara Titara
The new 5G generation is the evolution of the previous ones, 3G and 4G, and will offer greater speed for downloads and uploads, greater coverage, and more stable connections. The use of several devices and equipment connected at the same time will be allowed, without loss of signal quality. The main difference between the new generation and 4G is the speed on information transfer, called latency.
5G technology is the infrastructure to support the Internet of Things (IoT), which will impact the functioning of the economic and social sectors, says Fábio Faria, Minister of Communications. “With this technology, Brazil will join the select group of countries that have standalone fifth-generation networks, that is, pure 5G. The impact for the country is enormous. We estimate US$ 1.2 trillion in the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 15 years.”
“The impact for the country is enormous. We estimate US$ 1.2 trillion in the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 15 years.”
The collection of various internationally frequencies bands identified for the 5G services, in Brazil, include a mix of low ranges (700 MHz), medium ranges (2,3 GHz e 3,5 GHz) and high ranges above 6 GHz (including 26 GHz of millimetric waves called mmWave), says Cristiane Sanches, member of the board of directors of the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT).
This spectrum range translate the reality of the 5G enables network improvements in terms of capacity and efficiency, new application offerings and services that require more speed and low latency, in addition to surpassing 3G and 4G technologies in flexibility, scalability and reliability,” highlights Cristiane.
Country-ready
Brazil has been preparing for the implementation of the new technology. The “5G auction” establishes a series of infrastructure investment commitments in the form of give and take. “The arrangement obtained has a non-collection bias, that is, it is oriented towards productive investments in regions of low economic attractiveness, aimed at reducing the country’s connectivity gap”, emphasizes Leonardo Euler de Morais, president of the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel).
One of the requisites to conform to at the 5G auction was to guarantee infrastructure for locations that do not have it, reports Fábio Faria. “We made it mandatory that regional and national investments provide 4G or superior in areas that are poorly served, like highways. Doing so, all regions will have mobile networks.”
5G technology is superior to previous ones due to its high capacity and efficiency, and less chances of being affected by network traffic. Therefore, with the gradual implementation of such mandatory targets, those living on the outskirts of metropoles will also benefit.
There are some challenges that need to be overcome, such as the regulation of the Antenna Law, the terminals availability, and smartphones with more accessible price, says Marco Di Costanzo, Network implementation and engineer director for TIM Brasil. “More than being an available technology to all social classes, 5G will enable to offer IoT services. Once operating, we will take a big step to amplify projects in essential sectors of the Brazilian economy.”
Implementation
Currently, the new generation of technology is already active in some regions of the main capitals of the country, but in an incipient way. 5G auction was held on November 4th, the “From this date onwards, the implementation of the technology will be quick in some areas. By this Christmas, we will already have 5G Standalone in São Paulo and by July 2022 all capitals will already be covered by 5G, while the other municipalities will gradually receive the technology until 2028”, says the minister.
“5G will provide speed and efficiency in the retail space, answering to new consumers expectations on how to acquire goods and services.”
The implementation of capacity data transport infrastructure (fiber) to the more than 600 municipalities that do not have this network element (backhaul) is essential for digital connectivity. “In addition, there are specific goals for the implementation of 5G technology in all Brazilian cities, starting with the capitals”, complements Leonardo.
Four 5G frequencies were auctioned: 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26 GHz. Companies that won the bidding will have as mandatory goals for gradual implementation starting in 2022: to provide access to 4G technology or higher for about 9,500 non-headquarters districts (villages, towns and/or settlements) lacking cellular mobile coverage; and more than 31,000 km of federal highways without mobile access must also be equipped with 4G or higher.
Benefits for industry and retail
“The new generation of technology will allow Brazil to progress towards a hyperconnected economy.”
The new technology will bring lasting change for commercial and industrial applications, as well as automation and innovations, tells Leonardo. “Its mission critical control feature allows through low latency and high reliability, sensitive applications, such as delay and error in autonomous cars, remote surgeries and industrial machinery control. Greater impact will come from being a technology that makes the massive internet of things a reality, as 5G allows simultaneous communication of IoT devices, with wide coverage and low battery consumption.”
Especially for companies, the applications of the 5G millimetric waves will revolutionize the day-to-day cloud tasks and demands of IT, says Cristiane Sanches. “5G will provide speed and efficiency in the retail space, answering to new consumers expectations on how to acquire goods and services.”
“Once operating, we will take a big step to amplify projects in essential sectors of the Brazilian economy.”
The available 5G is the lever to boost the acceleration and advances of digitalization in Brazil for the industry 4.0, with more efficient and precise equipment. It will bring security against hackers and information leak, contributing to the automation and integration of different technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality.
Compatible devices
To use the new 5G networks, devices will need to support the new generation. In the retail space today, the big companies are already launching a new variety of compatible products with different prices. The advance of technology will have direct impact on how new devices are consumed.
“In Brazil, approximately 50 million cellular devices are sold every year, which is a very representative revenue for both industry and retail, with annual sales of more than R$ 70 billion. Every time there is a technology innovation and a new generation of phones reaching the market, we notice an increase in the demand to upgrade the smartphone”, highlights Thiago
“This reduction of technology cost, faster than what we’ve seen in previous generations, will be a key factor to reduce the barrier for adoption of 5G in Brazil.”
To use the new network, devices must support 5G. The difference with previous networks is that, despite been launched just two years ago in more mature markets like United States and Korea, it is already a global technology with an accelerated cycle of innovation in the industry, and 5G smartphone models have already reached more competitive price levels, says Thiago Machado, director of the Telecommunications Sector Group of the Brazilian Electrical and Electronic Industry Association (Abinee). “This reduction of technology cost, faster than what we’ve seen in previous generations, will be a key factor to reduce the barrier for adoption of 5G in Brazil.”
Source: Eletrolar News #145
