Communications Minister promises 5G in São Paulo before year-end, even with delays

For what seems like an eternity, Brazil’s auction of 5G frequencies has been scheduled to take place “next month.” Even with the country staggering toward the finish line of one of the tech world’s most highly awaited bidding processes, delays are still surfacing. However, Communications Minister Fábio Faria has ensured that the latest postponements will not stop cities in São Paulo and other state capitals from implementing standalone 5G infrastructure before the end of this year.

According to the government’s plan, all 27 Brazilian state capitals should have standalone 5G networks in place by July 2022, but this particular time frame is under threat due to delays in publishing the final bidding notice. Mr. Faria, however, remains bullish.

“Until July of next year, all state capitals will have working standalone 5G. By Christmas of this year, we’ll have standalone 5G working in São Paulo, I’m sure of that,” he told telecoms business owners, during an event on Thursday. “I believe that some cities will go into...