Brazil: Ten of 26 cities with over 500,000 inhabs. have no 5G laws
Mobile operators face an obstacle to the expansion of the 5G signal to medium-sized cities. According to a survey carried out by Conexis Brasil Digital, which brings together telecom and connectivity companies, ten of the 26 cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants do not have specific laws for the installation of antennas and other infrastructure necessary for the new technology.
The survey does not consider the capital cities of the 27 Brazilian states that already have 5G since the second half of last year. Only the cities in metropolitan or inland regions with more than 500 thousand residents, added in the new stage of signal expansion have been included.
The 5G signal must be installed in these cities by July 2025, with one antenna for every 10 thousand people, the public notice issued by Brazil’s national telecommunications regulator Anatel reads. The agency has already authorized the commercial activation of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) frequency in the 26 cities. However, the adoption of the technology also depends on local laws.
Partial adjustment
According to the survey, 12 of the 26 cities with more than half a million inhabitants have specific laws about this topic, however, they need to adapt local legislation to the Antennas General Law and to licensing practices that provide legal security.
In these places, as well as in some capitals that have not yet adapted the legislation, the 5G technology can be installed, but the signal expansion and coverage in certain neighborhoods are compromised.
Only four of these cities, according to Conexis Brazil, have legislation and municipal bureaucratic processes that make the environment favorable for the 5G implementation.
According to Conexis, which manages the 5G Connect project, the existence of municipal laws that facilitate the installation of antennas, with clear rules and agile licensing, results in attracting investments by offering more legal certainty for operators. Unlike 3G and 4G technologies, the 5G signal does not require the installation of towers. The antennas can be installed on top of buildings and interfere little in the urban landscape.
