Spectrum Auction for 5G Networks To Take Place in Brazil Next Month: Communications Minister

Brazil Communications Minister Fabio Faria had announced on Wednesday that the government will be seeing the spectrum auction for 5G networks next month.

Faria said that the government had already responded to all court's questions, adding that the government does not expect the analysis of the auction rules by Brazil's audit court TCU.

The communications minister said that he expects all state capitals in the country to have 5G Stand Alone working by next July, according to a Reuters report.

Meanwhile, telecom operators will have to comply with all the requirements of the auction by 2028.

A Brazilian government delegation will be in the U.S. next week for the discussion of private 5G networks with the U.S. government.

5G Auction

One of the most likely barriers in the 5G auction in Brazil is Huawei. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was a known Trump ally, and Huawei is a Chinese telecom.

There have been reports of a rift between former U.S. President Donald Trump and China during his administration, but it was also reported that Brazil is no longer looking to bar Huawei from its 5G networks, according to a Capacity Media report.

Earlier reports stated that Huawei was in danger of being excluded from the bidding process for 5G communications networks in the South American country due to Bolsonaro's government's opposition.

In addition, his supporters had spread misinformation and agitate against Huawei, according to a Global Voices report.

Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, who is a congressman, had continued to jab attacks on the Chinese company.

In December 2020, the Bolsonaro government was reported to have been searching for a legal way of hindering Huawei from joining 5G network deals in Brazil.

However, this was pushed back as banning Huawei from participating in the auction would mean the company would have to stop providing 3G and 4G equipment to Brazilian companies, which could result in losses.

Also, China is Brazil's largest trading partner, according to an Economia Estadao report.

Yue Yunxia,​​ director of the Economic Research Office of the Latin American Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview that Brazil's choice to include Huawei in the 5G auction is also a stepping stone for the Latin American market.

Yue added that Brazil's actions had weakened U.S. influence and concerns over national security.

In June 2019, Brazil's vice president said the government was unlikely to block Huawei's participation in the country's 5G deployment.

The global infrastructure for 5G is mainly provided by three companies namely, Huawei, the Swedish company Ericsson, and the Finnish company Nokia.

5G connectivity promises a more rapid connection for phones and other devices that connect to the internet. In addition, it has the capacity to provide data speeds a hundred times faster than those of using 4G, according to experts.

Full deployment of the 5G networks is scheduled to take place by December 2029, with 100 percent of the covered national territory having access to 5G networks.

WATCH: Huawei promises transparency and responsibility in its 5G Network in Brazil - from New China TV