Latin America. The development of 5G networks continued in the South American region and in February 2022 there were already 14 operational 5G networks in seven countries in the region, according to a survey by 5G Americas based on information from regulatory agencies, operators and Telegeography.
The networks have been deployed in frequency bands that have been licensed through recent bidding processes (Chile and Brazil between 2020 and 2021), but there are also cases in which governments authorized changes to pre-existing spectrum licenses to allow new wireless services (Peru and Uruguay).
Since the development of 5G coexists with the operation of 4G and earlier networks, it is crucial that national administrations identify frequency bands suitable for the development of these new networks.
In general terms, South American countries consider spectrum from the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands as spectrum bands for the development of 5G, but other ranges are distinguished in the planning of spectrum use, 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 have conducted a variety of 5G trials in South America to demonstrate new use cases spanning: teleeducation, telemedicine, private networks for industrial use, real-time multimedia communications, gaming, smart cities, and virtual reality.
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