Algar Telecom plans to invest in 4G, launching the first city with 700 MHz in addition to Rio Verde (GO) and performing the refarming of the 1.8 GHz band to offer 4G. Like other operators (TIM, Claro and Vivo), tele intends to take advantage of the natural migration from GSM to 3G base, which helps to reuse the band for LTE. According to the director of operations and technology, Luiz Antônio Andrade Lima, the company should allocate 5 MHz of the band to 4G, in a first moment. "We will release as soon as possible, but we need internal approvals," he told this news. According to Lima, once the green light was guaranteed in the company, the start of the refarming operation would be relatively fast, taking four to five months.
Unlike other companies, however, The mining company should not take advantage of the carrier aggregation band (LTE-Advanced). The idea is to use only for the normal LTE operation, adding up to the 700 MHz band with which it should render the service more comprehensively, given the large coverage nature of the band. However, the liberation of the spectrum, currently occupied with broadcasting, is to be expected. "For now without aggregation, but further, if I can (release other tracks), it is possible," says the director.
The plan is, of course, to achieve higher spectral efficiency. "On this basis, we will try to migrate everything from GSM to 900 MHz, freeing up (1.8 GHz) to 4G," Lima says. Next, the company plans to migrate as much as possible from the base 2G to 3G, thus freeing up more bandwidth for LTE.
According to the director of Algar, this launch is part of the strategy of digital transformation of the company, as well as the modernization of the network for optical access. This is also part of the WCDMA: the operator celebrates having closed 3G coverage in 100% of the cities where it has a concession. That means 87 cities and more than 200 locations - according to the company, at least 70% of these sites have less than 20,000 inhabitants.
Launch of 4G
Algar Telecom also intends to execute the first commercial launch of the 700 MHz network outside of Rio Verde (GO). The company is already giving the final touches to start operating with LTE in the city of Ituiutaba (MG) in the coming weeks, since it would be before the analog TV shutdown in Brasilia, due to be finalized on November 11. The expectation, According to TV president Jean Carlos Borges, is that the municipality of Triângulo Mineiro is also the first of the operator to offer the 4G technology.
"We are running to be the first city with commercial launch, operational," Borges told this news. Approval for use in Ituiutaba was given by Gired in June of this year. The personal mobile service must coexist with broadcasting in the same band, but without prejudice to the two services.
In the executive's assessment, the reception of the new frequency in mobile phones will not be a problem for users. "At least 20% of the terminals in our base can use the 700 MHz," he says, noting the benefits of the lower range, which provides greater coverage (including indoor) and thus less need for antenna densification.
"We have achieved the 700 MHz release and we will deploy as soon as possible," confirmed operations and technology director Luiz Lima. But the company should not be restricted to Ituiutaba. Lima says he has fought for release in other cities, without revealing which ones.
In the 2014 auction, the company won the fifth batch of the 700 MHz band for R $ 29,567 million. Once the use of spectrum is released, the company will be able to operate in 87 municipalities of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The company did not acquire licenses of the 2.5 GHz band in the auction of 2012: according to Lima, by a strategic decision, since the band is very high and brings difficulty in indoor coverage. Confirmed the operations and technology director, Luiz Lima. But the company should not be restricted to Ituiutaba. Lima says he has fought for release in other cities, without revealing which ones. In the 2014 auction, the company won the fifth batch of the 700 MHz band for R $ 29,567 million. Once the use of spectrum is released, the company will be able to operate in 87 municipalities of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The company did not acquire licenses of the 2.5 GHz band in the auction of 2012: according to Lima, by a strategic decision, since the band is very high and brings difficulty in indoor coverage. Confirmed the operations and technology director, Luiz Lima. But the company should not be restricted to Ituiutaba. Lima says he has fought for release in other cities, without revealing which ones. In the 2014 auction, the company won the fifth batch of the 700 MHz band for R $ 29,567 million. Once the use of spectrum is released, the company will be able to operate in 87 municipalities of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The company did not acquire licenses of the 2.5 GHz band in the auction of 2012: according to Lima, by a strategic decision, since the band is very high and brings difficulty in indoor coverage. The company bought the fifth batch of the 700 MHz band for R $ 29,567 million. Once the use of spectrum is released, the company will be able to operate in 87 municipalities of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The company did not acquire licenses of the 2.5 GHz band in the auction of 2012: according to Lima, by a strategic decision, since the band is very high and brings difficulty in indoor coverage. The company bought the fifth batch of the 700 MHz band for R $ 29,567 million. Once the use of spectrum is released, the company will be able to operate in 87 municipalities of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo. The company did not acquire licenses of the 2.5 GHz band in the auction of 2012: according to Lima, by a strategic decision, since the band is very high and brings difficulty in indoor coverage.