When will 5G arrive in Brazil?

Superfast 5G, the fifth generation of mobile communications, could be launched as early as next year in countries such as the U.S. and China. The new technology promises download speeds up to 20 times faster than we have today. Many believe that it will be pivotal for self-driving vehicles to operate based on real-time traffic data, and it will make it possible for doctors to perform surgeries away from their patients – by controlling robots connected to the internet.

In Latin America, however, 5G should only become a reality in 2020 – and is unlikely to be massified before 2025. According to GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, it’s impossible to know which Latin American country will pioneer the technology (Chile did it with 3G and Uruguay with 4G).

Today, Brazil has 218 million active mobile connections (for  207 million inhabitants), and 79 percent of them are through smartphones, which are owned by 84 million people. However, only 55 percent are already connected to 4G technology. While Brazil’s numbers are the best in the...