DIGITAL LIFE

5G is launched in Brazil, but only for wealthy people

The operator Claro launches this week in Brazil the 5G connection for cell phones in upscale neighborhoods of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro using the existing network, pending the bid, scheduled for 2021, for the installation of the fifth generation of mobile internet.
The operator decided to launch this service "with the postponement of the auction", Paulo César Teixeira, chief executive of Claro's Consumer unit, told AFP.
It will be available until September in 12 neighborhoods in São Paulo and nine in Rio de Janeiro.
The auction for the fifth generation of mobile technology (5G) would be held this year in Brazil, one of its main markets, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The implementation of this system has become a central chapter in the trade war between China and the United States, the South American country's first and second economic partner, respectively.
Claro's initiative - from the América Móvil group, controlled by Mexican millionaire Carlos Slim - will use 5G DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) technology to offer "a 5G experience" taking advantage of the current 4G spectrum.
This service, with technology from the Swedish group Ericsson, allows a connection up to twelve times faster than the current 4G network, explains Teixeira, noting that, with the 5G installed, the speed will be much higher.
In São Paulo, coverage will initially be available in the areas of Avenida Paulista and Jardins. In the coming weeks, it will extend to Campo Belo, Vila Madalena, Pinheiros, Itaim, Moema, Brooklin, Vila Olímpia, Cerqueira César, Paraíso, Ibirapuera, in the region of Avenida Berrini and Santo Amaro.
In Rio de Janeiro, coverage will initially be available in Ipanema, Leblon and Lagoa. Then, it will extend all along the coast, from Leme to Barra da Tijuca, passing through Jardim Oceânico, Joá, São Conrado and Copacabana.
The operator chose these areas because they are the ones with the "highest data traffic".
A similar service, also with DSS technology, will be offered in September by TIM, another major operator in Brazil (a subsidiary of Telecom Italia), in three cities in Rio Grande do Sul (south), Minas Gerais (southeast) and Mato Grosso South (Midwest).
When the auction is held, the Brazilian government will have to choose Huawei from China or its competitors, including European companies Ericsson and Nokia, supported by Washington, which accuses Huawei of practicing espionage for the Beijing communist regime.
The dilemma is present in several countries in the region and the world. The UK on Tuesday announced Huawei's exclusion from its 5G network, citing security risks to the country. The Chinese group lamented a decision it called "politicized" and "disappointing".
The 5G will allow to connect household objects, industrial operations, urban services and medical interventions.

Mundophone