Brisanet 'cuts ribbon' on 5G operation in northeast Brazil

Brazil’s Brisanet, the country’s second largest ISP, officially launched its 5G service in home state Ceará’s capital Fortaleza, with Huawei as its main network supplier.

A ceremony to mark the launch on Thursday was attended by communications minister Juscelino Filho and officials from regulator Anatel, as well as by Ceará state authorities.

Despite the official launch, Brisanet’s 5G network is already installed and currently covers around 80% of Ceará territory. The goal is to reach 95% by the end of this year.

According to Brisanet’s latest operational data, the company had over 128,000 mobile customers as of end-June. The mobile network is present in 115 municipalities in the state.

After obtaining regional licenses for 5G in the 2021 auction, fixed broadband provider Brisanet became a new entrant in the mobile market. The company's declared goal is to challenge the leadership of national mobile carriers in the country’s northeast region.

Overall, Brisanet plans to invest 1bn reais (US$176mn) in its 5G operations in Ceará.

Earlier this month, Brisanet announced the issuance of 600mn reais in bonds to fund its operations and refinance debt.

The bonds, known locally as debentures, mature in six years and the company said investor demand surpassed 1.1bn reais.

The operation had Banco Santander as lead bookrunner, and Bradesco BBI, Itaú BBA and UBS BB as joint bookrunners.

FWA

During the ceremony in Fortaleza, Brisanet also announced its first 5G FWA (fixed wireless access) products. FWA allows the 5G signal to be used as an extension of fixed broadband, in the same way as Wi-Fi.

Brisanet’s modem-like FWA equipment is provided by Brazil’s Intelbras.