To gather feedback on plans to discontinue 2G and 3G networks and shift the spectrum utilised by those technologies to 4G and 5G, the Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel launched a consultation process.
According to information released in the nation’s federal gazette, the procedure began on Tuesday. According to BNamericas, operators from other nations in the area, including Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Chile, have already started this shutdown procedure.
Simultaneously, the Brazilian regulator promises to restrict the certification of mobile phones and other devices designed to operate solely on outdated technologies. This move is in response to requests from operators as well as chipset producers like Qualcomm.
According to Anatel data, 42.2 million (2G and 3G) mobile device accesses, or 16.7% of Brazil’s total mobile base, were made up as of the end of August. Of those, 21.5 million connections were made via 2G, and 20.7 million via 3G. Telefônica has the most 2G access in the nation, whereas Claro has the most 3G access.
The majority of M2M and IoT connections in the nation use 2G and 3G networks, which presents a problem, BrandSpur telecom and IT news reports.
Vinícius Caram, the Superintendent of Spectrum and Resources at Anatel, stated at the Futurecom conference in São Paulo on Tuesday that certifications should go on, but only for devices that are also compatible with 4G and 5G. According to him, the development of 2G and 3G equipment cannot come at the expense of emerging technologies.
Furthering, he had this to say: “Devices restricted to or only compatible with 2G and 3G technologies use spectrum less efficiently and, globally, their isolated ecosystems are becoming obsolete to meet the demands of current applications,” Anatel argued in the consultation.
“Thus, such devices tend to have expensive maintenance costs but keeping them activated is an obligation. It is worth noting that applications that serve direct machine connections, which eventually require lower transmission rates, can be met by new technologies and releases,” he added.
