Chile. The so-called first "5G Zone" in Latin America was recently inaugurated by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications (MTT), together with Entel and Ericsson. In this area, frequencies of this technology such as 3,500 MHz and 700 MHz will be used, in order to experience, together with citizens, its enabling and transformational role.
In this line, this sector, which has an extension of almost 5.5 kilometers, will be located on the Providencia-Apoquindo axis, that is, from Pedro de Valdivia to the Military School (communes of Providencia and Las Condes), an area where more than 100 thousand people usually transit during the week and where hospitals, shops, high-flow public transport coexist, public parks, offices, colleges and universities, among others.
"The Chilean telecommunications sector is once again at the forefront in Latin America with this test that connects a sector of the city of Santiago with the bands of the future network," said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hutt, who added that "this 5G Zone will allow citizens to live the experience of a hyperconnected ecosystem, with intelligent transport and greater efficiency in travel times. In turn, we hope that very soon these areas will be replicated throughout the country, so that people can be closer and closer to this technology that will forever transform our daily activities and allow the country to ride the technological revolution."
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Pamela Gidi said that "5G will be a transformational force for the country and it is very important that all actors collaborate in its development. There is a lot of interest in joining this initiative to start experimenting with 5G, and we hope to soon announce new 5G Campuses throughout the country, with the benefit that this will bring to Chile's digital development."
For her part, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Pamela Gidi, indicated that "although 5G technology will be transformational for the productive sectors, it will be even more so for people, since this new network will allow them to access new telemedicine services, distance education or live in smart cities that will improve the quality of life of their inhabitants, because they will be friendlier and more sustainable environments. That today we are starting the first 5G Zone in Latin America confirms the commitment of President Sebastián Piñera in terms of preparing the country to face the new digital economy 4.0, connecting it with the most modern digital roads and therefore, shortening its technological and geographical gaps. "
For his part, the general manager of Entel, Antonio Büchi, said that "the launch of this 5G Zone is a technological milestone for Chile and puts us at the forefront in terms of state-of-the-art connectivity. However, the most important thing is that it is a contribution to development, which allows us to glimpse and explore different improvements that this technology will bring to our quality of life. Just as before we showed the benefits of telemedicine in an office in La Granja or the potential of research on the 5G campus that we developed with the U. of Chile, today we make available to the community this experimental space, which will allow us to begin to get involved with this technology that is already coming".
Towards a smart city
In the launch activity of the "5G Zone" an experimental test was carried out that consisted of the driving of a bicycle, where the Chilean cyclist, Sebastián Vásquez, who was three times world champion of descent and winner of tests such as "Valparaíso Cerro Abajo", did not see the track, being this guided only through a 5G streaming through which the route was shown in real time.
"Ericsson is very proud to have been chosen by Entel to help the country take this important step towards 5G. This activation in Chile using our 5G technology reflects Ericsson's pioneering spirit and our commitment to contribute to the country's technological advancement, as we have always done in these 75 years since we began operating in the local market. We started studies in 5G more than a decade ago, we are leaders in the development of essential patents for 5G, we were the first to implement 5G on 5 continents, and today we already have almost 80 active commercial operations of 5G in 40 countries. We are very happy to take the lead once again and register this achievement now also in Chile," said Enzo Zunino, Country Head of Ericsson Chile.
Since the "5G Zone" is an open space, at this experimental stage, some 5G-enabled phones in the 3,500 MHz band will be able to make use of this technology when they are within the aforementioned limits.
Status of 5G public tenders
On January 15, 2021, the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (SUBTEL) reported that the companies Borealnet, Claro, Entel, Movistar and Wom tied in the bids they made for the 5G Public Tenders of the 700 MHz, AWS and 3.5 GHz bands, which is why their award will be defined under the economic auction model in a closed envelope.
In this line, the regulator indicated that the order of the auctions of the contests will be by block size (spectral capacity to compete). In this way, the auction of the Public Tender for the 700 MHz band (20 MHz block) was held on February 8, 2021, while the auctions of the Public Tenders for the AWS bands (30 MHz block) and 3.5 GHZ (150 MHz block) will be held next Thursday, February 11, 2021 and Tuesday, February 16, 2021, respectively.
In the case of the 5G Public Tender in the 26 GHz band (four blocks of 400 MHz) awards will be made for all bidders (Claro, Entel and Wom), without going through the bidding or auction process proposed, since the available bandwidth is enough to satisfy what is required by each of them.
