Brazil wants another national policy - this time for 5G

The Brazilian government launched a public consultation on a national policy for the 5G technology. Contributions can be submitted until July 31.

In a statement, the ministry of science, technology, innovation and communications (MCTIC) said the purpose of the consultation was to gather input from stakeholders of all segments of society for the elaboration of a 5G strategy.

Such strategy would offer a “diagnosis of the challenges, a vision of the potentialities and a map of opportunities offered by 5G technology in Brazil.”

Because 5G is projected to boost M2M and internet-of-things (IoT) applications, this planned 5G policy will likely have to be aligned with  Brazil’s national IoT plan - which falls under the country’s broader Digital Transformation Strategy, announced last year, together with the industry 4.0 plan.

THEMATIC AXES

The 5G strategy consultation is divided into five “thematic axes”: radiofrequency and licensing; research; development and innovation; applications; and security in the 5G environment.

In a draft document presented together with the consultation, the government defends assigning the 2.5GHz, the 3.5GHz, and the 26GHz bands for 5G, as is being mulled by regulator Anatel.

The document defends a change in the charging of fees for radio transmission equipment and the process of licensing mobile telephony antennas and related telecom infrastructure – two of the chief concerns of the telecom industry.

It also proposes changing the law that regulates the outdated fund for the universalization of telecommunications services (Fust), so that resources can be allocated to 5G rather than fixed telephony.

The government also wants to push initiatives to stimulate the sharing of network infrastructure among telecom service providers.

The document summarizes the current status of 5G worldwide, including technical standards, frequencies considered and the roadmap for launches in other countries.

Mexico appears as an example in the text, saying that the country’s regulator IFT is considering for 5G the 700MHz and 2.5GHz bands, already used for the 4G.

Also in consideration by Mexico, highlights the Brazilian paper, are the 600MHz, the 3.5GHz and, in the upper parts of the spectrum, the 26GHz, 37GHz, 42GHz, 47GHz and 50-52GHz bands.

Brazil's Anatel plans to hold its 5G spectrum auction in March next year. Tender terms are due to be put for consultation in coming months.