Nokia carrying out 5G pilots in Brazil this year

Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia will conduct 5G field tests in Brazil this year with at least two telecom operators, the company's CTO in Brazil, Wilson Cardozo, told BNamericas.

The company has already carried out a first trial with TIM for the mitigation of satellite interference using the 3.5GHz bands, the likely candidate for the 5G spectrum in most of the world, Brazil included.

The CTO expects a 3.5GHz auction to be held in the first half of 2019, which would involve the award of a total of 200MHz divided into four national lots; in theory, one for which of the four major mobile carriers.

This trial with TIM was for fixed-wireless access (FWA) application, using 5G as last-mile broadband connectivity to households, which Cardozo believes will be the first use cases of the upcoming generation of mobile technology in Latin America. In the test, speeds surpassed 1Gbps, Cardozo said.

In addition to Brazil, trials are also expected for other Latin American markets where Nokia operates, according to the executive, who did not provide further details.

Nokia's rival, Ericsson, also expects to hold a 5G field test in Brazil this year, as the company's CEO for Brazil Eduardo Ricotta revealed in this interview.

Both executives believe that the technology will begin to see commercial rollouts in the region by the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020.