Brazils TIM demoes 5G in Florianopolis

Brazilian mobile carrier TIM has demoed a 5G transmission over its network as part of the a 5G pilot project that targets principally IoT applications.

TIM used Huawei technology and the 3.5GHz frequency for the demonstration in the city of Florianópolis.

It was carried out in partnership with local research institute Fundação CERTI, which develops IoT solutions for applications in several segments with different connectivity standards that include 4G.

Based on the tests and customer demands, CERTI will start the development of the IoT 5G platform, TIM said.

TIM has two other 5G pilot projects in the making.

In the city of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, tests will run on Ericsson’s infrastructure and focus on IoT solutions for lighting, security and vehicle tracking.

These tests will be conducted with the National Institute of Telecommunications (Inatel).

Another trial, in Campina Grande, will use Nokia technology to test solutions for smart cities using the NB-IoT platform. It will be carried out in partnership with the federal university of Campina Grande (UFCG).

“This pilot with TIM is an important step for Huawei in its Brazilian partnerships. Besides, Huawei has worked in Brazil with regulator Anatel as a supplier of 5G equipment in the tests being carried out for verification and validation of the 3.5GHz spectrum,” Huawei Brasil commercial director Humberto Neto said, according to a TIM statement.

“This means Huawei remains at the forefront of 5G in Brazil, demonstrating that promoting innovation and partnerships are key requirements for the development of a more intelligent and connected society,” he said.

HUAWEI

Huawei, for its part, also announced an MoU with Brazilian research firm BioTIC for the implementation of the first permanent 5G testing space in Brazil using Huawei technology.

BioTIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brasília’s development agency Terracap created to set up a Brasília tech hub, which will focus on innovation applied to nanotechnology, agriculture, health and energy, among others.

The announcement comes as Brazil’s foreign minister Ernesto Araújo told local magazine Veja that the government was “assessing eventual restrictions to Huawei,” contradicting vice-president Hamilton Mourão.

Mourão recently told Valor Econômico newspaper that the government does not consider a ban.

President Bolsonaro is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday during the G20 Summit in Japan, according to the agenda released by the Brazilian presidency.