Brazil will not accept US pressure on Huawei's 5G offer, says minister

This Wednesday, 08/01, Marcos Pontes, Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, informed that Brazil will not accept any pressure from the United States to restrict the participation of Huawei at the 5G auction.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the minister said that “A good partner always understands the needs of the other. Just as Brazil does not complain about what business the US does with China and whether or not it affects our agribusiness.”, Pontes pointed out about possible pressure from the United States. 

Pontes also added that there will be no vetoes to any company that expresses interest in participating in the auction. The choice will be absolutely technical, said the minister. “With technical criteria, it’s hard to see how some of these big companies won’t be able to participate”. 

Scheduled for the second half of this year, the 5G auction could be delayed further. Still in an interview with Bloomberg, the minister informed that the auction should be postponed to 2021. The postponement is due to a technical problem. The new network of 5G can interfere with the transmission of satellite dishes, which currently transmit satellite TV signals. It is worth remembering that the 5G auction should take place in March this year. 

The Brazilian government has been studying two ways: the first is to put filters on satellite dishes and the second option would be to change the transmission frequency used by TV providers in Brazil. 

Another snag of the 5G auction comes from Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency). The Agency would have taken a long time to publish the official notice announcing the auction. 

Now, Marcos Pontes reinforced that he prefers to proceed with caution. For him, the delay will benefit Brazil, given that it will be possible to learn from the mistakes and successes of other countries that acquire the new 5G networks. 

“Science and technology work as an excellent component of diplomacy”, Pontes said about Brazil's rapprochement with the United States. Especially in the area of ​​science and technology, the South American country has much to gain from the partnership. Currently, Pontes has been talking to the US government seeking cooperation in the fields of biotechnology, artificial intelligence and smart cities. The minister also recalled that the country invests little in science and technology. 

Source: Bloomberg