Tech Roundup: millions without internet as 5G arrives

This week: 5G arrives, but almost 20 million Brazilians still don’t have broadband access, says IDB. Brazilian fintech wants to democratize access to crypto. UNESCO awards Brazilian startup teaching programming to vulnerable women. 

IDB: almost 20 million Brazilians have no broadband access

With less than a week until Brazil’s long-awaited 5G auction, telecom regulator Anatel and the International Development Bank (IDB) announced the results of a survey on internet access, showing that 19.7 million people in the country still do not have access to broadband internet.

Why it matters. The pandemic led to an acceleration of digitization in most sectors, highlighting the urgency of access to quality internet in Brazil. 

The project. On Thursday, the institutions presented the first results of its Crowdsourcing for Digital Connectivity in Brazil (C2DB) project, kicked off in May, which aims to better understand connectivity in the country and generate future investment.

5G and digital inclusion. Based on a detailed survey, researchers in charge of the project showed that Brazil requires USD 9.5 billion in capital expenditure over the next five years to promote the digital inclusion of 15.8 million Brazilians without broadband access.

• With that, the country would reach a total coverage of 98.2 percent of the population.
• In addition, it would also require operational expenditures of USD 290 million per year — offset by potential revenue of USD 1.2 billion — according to Luis Gillermo Alarcon Lopez, IDB’s telecom expert and head of the C2BD.
• According to the study, this spending would increase mobile coverage by 1.3 percent and lead to a 2.4-percent bump in Brazil’s GDP, as well as connecting 3,771 health units and 21,230 public...