5G debut, El Salvador sees timid bitcoin adoption and what matters in the market

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How was the debut of 5G

On the day of its debut in the country, in Brasília, 5G did not reach everyone, its speed was unstable and the user was not sure if he was connected to the pure or impure version.

Understand: with the start of fifth generation telephony operations, the frequency of 3.5 GHz (gigahertz) was released, through which pure 5G travels. The impure uses the same as 4G, and may even have lower speed than the previous generation.

How it was: in some prime areas of the capital, the connection guaranteed significantly higher speeds – up to ten times higher than 4G technology.

• Videos downloaded instantly, especially on the Netflix app, which previously took about eight seconds to start showing.

• However, this speed fluctuated a lot depending on the area of ​​the city, and even in the Plano Piloto region, 5G disappeared in some places.

Operators: Claro was the first to turn on its exclusive 5G network in the federal capital, at 5:26 am, with 82 antennas.

TIM was the one that installed the most antennas, with 164, and Vivo added 78 more. Together, the three have 324 antennas, which cover 80% of the city of Brasilia. Their concentration is higher in Plano Piloto and in the lake region (south and north).

Who can access: the telecoms say that those with devices compatible with pure 5G (see here which ones) already have access to the new service.

• TIM establishes a period of up to three months for its customers to choose to migrate to pure 5G. Those who adopt, use the service for a year for free and then pay R$ 20 more in their monthly plan.

• Vivo and Claro decided not to overcharge their customers in 5G technology. However, they do not make it clear which of the networks the client will be connected to.

Next steps: fifth-generation telephony should be spread across the country’s other capitals by the end of September. Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre should be the next to receive the news.

Gasoline should fall on average R$ 1.55

The Ministry of Mines and Energy calculates that tax cuts passed by Congress should reduce BRL 1.55 per liter the average price of gasoline in the country.

The comparison is made against the record price of BRL 7,390 reached before the measures take effect. From the 26th of June to the 2nd of July, the average drop was BRL 0.26 per liter, according to the ANP.

What explains: the ministry’s calculations take into account the 17% to 18% in the ICMS rate for fuels – the application of which has not yet been announced by Acre – and the end of federal taxes PIS/Cofins and Cide on gasoline and ethanol by the end of the year.

A decree published this Thursday (7) by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) forces stations to display fuel prices practiced before the law that limited the collection of state tax.

In numbers: Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, which had the highest rates, have the most significant impacts estimated by the ministry: R$1.94 and R$1.86 per liter, respectively.

• For hydrated ethanol, the ministry expects an average cut of R$ 0.31 per liter, a reduction of 6.3%.

Oil crash eliminates difference: For the first time in more than a month, the drop in prices for a barrel of Brent oil in recent days ended with the lag in the prices of gasoline and diesel practiced in Brazil.

The calculation is made by Abicom, an association of importers.

Cbios put pressure on prices: the carbon credits of the fuel sector in Brazil hit BRL 202 on Thursday (30th) and may reduce fuel price cuts.

• Distributors are required to purchase these certificates to offset the emission of pollutants in the consumption of products.

• The quotations started the year at R$ 45 and should have an impact of BRL 0.15 per liter.

El Salvador’s gamble proves risky

El Salvador, a Central American country of around 6.5 million people, has been in the spotlight around the world after its president, Nayib Bukele, made bitcoin the country’s official currency alongside the dollar.

Ten months after adopting crypto, the gamble appears to have paid off.

Remember: the country made bitcoin official on September 7, amid public protests. To encourage the use of crypto, the government gave $30 to every inhabitant who downloaded Chivo Wallet, a payments app.

• The money allocated last year by the government to encourage the novelty was equivalent to 15% of its annual investment budget.

Did not catch: Despite Bukele saying that more than 60% of Salvadorans downloaded Chivo, only 10% of them continued using the app after spending their $30 premium, according to a survey by three US economists.

• They also found that the app barely registered new users this year.

Up and down: the country’s president was criticized by international bodies at the time for making a volatile cryptocurrency an official currency.

• Since the adoption, the price of bitcoin has fallen by about 60%, and the fall also affects the country’s accounts, which has part of its reserves in cryptos.

• In a recent post on Twitter, Bukele said that the country continues to buy the digital currency.

More about crypto:

Cryptocurrencies are not the new monetary system we need, writes Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times.

SP has the smallest apartment in Latin America

an apartment of 10 m² with price of BRL 200 thousand went viral this week and reignited the discussion about the cost of housing in the capital of São Paulo.

Understand: the controversy arose with a video of a realtor on Tiktok (watch) presenting the apartment unfurnished in 39 seconds.

This is the idea: according to developer Vitacon, it is the smallest apartment in Latin America.

• The 72 10m² units were launched five years ago by BRL 99 thousandand are located in Santa Cecília, in the capital of São Paulo.

• The property is aimed at an audience formed by young singles, students or professionals, who choose to live in a central region and have practicality in their daily lives.

• Vitacon claims that it compensates for the lack of space in the tights with shared areas in the building, such as coworking, kitchen, laundry, gym and cinema.