Demonstrations of 5G were carried out in at least eight countries for use cases related primarily to enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and automated mass communications (mMTC).
The development of 5G networks is on-going, and in South America, in February 2022, there were already 14 operational 5G networks in seven countries in the region. This is revealed in a survey by 5G Americas, based on information from regulatory bodies, agencies and operators.
The networks were deployed in licensed frequency bands through recent auctions – Chile and Brazil took place between 2020 and 2021. But there are also cases where governments have authorized changes to pre-existing spectrum licenses to allow new wireless services such as in Peru and Uruguay.
As the development of 5G co-exists with the operation of 4G and earlier networks, national administrations must identify suitable frequency bands for developing these new networks.
In general, South American countries consider the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz spectrum bands as spectrum bands for 5G development. But in the planning of spectrum use, other bands are highlighted, such as 600 MHz, 700 MHz, the L Band, 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 28 GHz, depending on the country.
Technology manufacturers and network operators conducted many 5G trials in South America to demonstrate new use cases, including tele-education, telemedicine, private networks for industrial use, real-time multimedia communications, gaming, Smart Cities and Virtual Reality.
About 5G Americas
5G Americas is an industry association of leading service providers and manufacturers in the telecommunications industry. The organization’s mission is to support and promote the full development of LTE wireless technology capabilities and its evolution beyond 5G across the entire ecosystem of wireless networks, services, applications and devices in the Americas.
5G Americas fosters the development of a connected and wireless community and leads the development of 5G for the entire Americas region. 5G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.
5G Americas board members include: Airspan Networks, Antel, AT&T, Ciena, Cisco, Crown Castle, Ericsson, Intel, Liberty Latin America, Mavenir, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Shaw Communications, T -Mobile US, Telefónica, VMware and WOM.
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