ANATEL (Brazil) studying the 700MHz Allocation

The board of directors for Brazil’s  telecommunications  agency, ANATEL,  said they  will initiate studies on the 700 MHz band regarding the use of this spectrum for digital television.  It is expected that 2016 is the year in which the 700 MHz band, will be turned off.

ANATEL  has also authorized a new designation of a portion of the upper range of 700 MHz (746 MHz to 806 MHz) which is now being used by repeat TV (RPTV).   ANATEL is reviewing what might  happen with VHF  TV channels when the transition to digital TV is complete.

This analysis should be completed by December, 2012.  It will then  be sent to the Ministry of Communications to assist in establishing public policy for the use of the band after the end of analog broadcasts in 2016.

According to ANATEL , the review  will be focused on allocating digital TV, but the agency did not  deny the possible use of this frequency band for LTE deployment as the greatest barrier for using 700 MHz for 4G is the current use of the band for analog television.