6 Brazilian capitals are not yet ready for 5G – APK Games

5G networks are spreading across Brazil, but there are still capitals that are not ready for this type of technology. A survey of Movement Watch out shows that Palmas (TO), Porto Velho (RO), Cuiabá (MT), Salvador (BA), Macapá (AP) and Maceió (AL) still do not have an ideal telecommunications infrastructure for this. Reason: outdated local laws.

To carry out the survey, Movimento Antene-se prepared a set of 12 questions that assess the alignment of the municipal antenna law with federal legislation. Each question has a score ranging from 0 to 3.

The objective is to measure the proximity of the local legislation with the General Antenna Law (Law 13.116/2015 and Federal Decree 10.480/2020). The closer municipal legislation is to federal law, the higher the grade.

Well, the mentioned capitals did not score any points in the questionnaire. The explanation for this lies in the fact that the first question — “does the city have an Antenna Law in line with the 2015 federal antenna legislation?” — be a qualifier for the others. This means that if the grade is 0 for the first question, the subsequent ones are nullified.

But that doesn’t mean that the capitals without a score have zero 5G coverage. Let us take Cuiabá and Maceió as recent examples. This week, Claro, TIM and Vivo activated 5G SA and NSA networks in these municipalitiesalbeit at an early stage.

What the Movimento Antene-se emphasizes is that, without the alignment of local legislation for antennas with federal regulations, the municipality does not create an environment of legal certainty for companies in the sector.

In other words, in the absence of a favorable regulatory foundation, operators are reluctant to invest in local infrastructure or find it difficult to do so due to lack of legal support.

Campo Grande (MS) leads ranking

Campo Grande (MS), Florianópolis (SC) and Rio Branco (AC) appear at the other extreme. The three capitals lead the ranking of Movimento Antene-se with 35, 34 and 33 points, respectively.

The maximum grade is 36 points. This means that these municipalities already have appropriate legislation for the advancement of 5G, although one or another adjustment may be necessary.

In any case, this is still a work in progress throughout Brazil. This also applies to the capitals that did not score in the current measurement. The expectation is that, in the near future, at least part of these cities will have advanced in the laws on antennas.

The Antene-se Movement itself explains that more than 400 Brazilian cities have already taken some initiative to address the issue. In addition, around 160 cities have already updated their telecommunications laws, including 16 capitals and the Federal District.

Together, these 160 municipalities represent more than 30% of the Brazilian population.

The current ranking, considering only the capitals, is this:

It is worth noting that the Movement Watch out is an initiative that aims to contribute to the modernization of antenna laws in the main Brazilian cities. The coalition is formed by six entities, including Abrintel (Brazilian Association of Telecommunications Infrastructure) and CNI (National Confederation of Industry).