Sure, Vivo and Tim win national 5G lots with a commitment to bring internet to public schools

In the final stage of the 5G auction, operators Claro, Vivo and Tim bought national lots that are committed to implementing connectivity projects in public schools. Tim, Algar Telecom and Fly Link took regional lots that have the same requirement.

The second stage of the event takes place this Friday morning (5), at the headquarters of Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency), with lots of frequency 26 GHz (gigahertz), the so-called “millimeter waves”.

Most of the auction, with frequencies considered most relevant for 5G, was concluded on Thursday (4).

So far, lots of national coverage and part of the regional ones have been auctioned. Claro won the first two nationals, with payment of R$ 52.8 million each. Vivo won three other lots, also worth R$ 52.8 each. Tim got a lot for R$27 million.

For R$ 8 million, Tim took a strip to cover the South region. The operator also got a lot for the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, for R$ 11 million, in addition to another in São Paulo , for R$12 million.

Algar Telecom, in turn, won five lots with values ​​close to R$ 1 million. The services will be in regions of São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás. For the same regions, Fly Link got a lot for R$ 900 thousand.

Winners of these lots will have to connect public schools across the country. This obligation was the result of pressure from the Parliamentary Education Front with the TCU (Court of Accounts of the Union).

Communications Minister Fábio Faria resisted this change as much as possible, worried that the requirement could delay the auction.

The business model in this frequency band is still uncertain, not internationally regulated.

In August of this year, TCU approved the rules for the 5G auction, authorizing some requirements for providers to bid for these lots.

Due to the fact that the 26 GHz band is unexplored and destined to broadband in a frequency with wide coverage, Anatel initially defended the non-imposition of mandatory investments. However, the TCU established that the connection program for public schools in the country will be a counterpart of the companies that purchased these licenses in the auction. The project is expected to cost around R$ 5 billion.

The decision was the result of pressure from parliamentarians who questioned the government about the absence of this compensation policy present in public notices for previous technologies (3G and 4G).