Brazil Watch: 5G, telecom plan, portability, Whatsapp

Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel's spectrum committee is holding a public consultation on the use of the 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz bands for 5G technology.

The consultation process will last for 60 days. The questionnaire consists of 13 questions related to the use of the bands including blocks, geographical distribution and interference mitigation as well as coexistence with services occupying adjacent portions in the radio electric spectrum.

For the 3.5GHz band, in particular, it must be ensured that new services do not impair the operation of satellite services in band C.

Currently, 67% of the stations licensed for the 2.3GHz bands are TV repeater and 32% are used for fixed-to-wireless broadband services. The idea is to leave the 2.3GHz band with just fixed telephony, mobile telephony and fixed line broadband.

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Anatel has held a public hearing on the national telecommunications plan (PERT), presenting a diagnosis of fixed and mobile broadband and proposing a set of actions that could be adopted in the next 10 years with the objective of reducing digital inequality.

Currently, 14% of the Brazilian population lives in more than 2,000 municipalities that do not have fiber optics.

Representatives of Claro, Brisanet, Tim and MOB Telecom participated in the hearing. PERT will receive contributions until September 8 through the public consultation monitoring system (SACP).

According to the proposal, financing could come with tax breaks, sale or renewal of radio frequencies, revision of the concession model and other possible changes in the universal services fund (Fust).

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Some 45mn number portability requests have been made in Brazil since the system was introduced in September 2008.

Currently some 500,000 requests for portability are made every month, 80% of which are mobile.

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Just over half of Brazilian users of WhatsApp (53%) would like to use the messaging application to make payments and bank transfers, according to a survey from local polling firm Panorama Mobile Time/Opinion Box.

Within the group that wants the new functionality, 44% would like the payment service via WhatsApp to be made from a virtual bank account created within the messaging app itself. And 37% would link their current bank account to WhatsApp, while 19% would find it better to associate their credit card with the application.