At this point there is no definitive timeline of when ANATEL will resume approvals of existing certificates.  New processes will continue as expected with  no delays in testing and issuance of Certificate of Conformities  (COC).  However, the final homologations by ANATEL will not resume  until the agency re-initiates their certification  process.  For additional information please contact Americas Compliance, sales@americascompliance.com or call (866)331-0001.

Please contact Americas Compliance for further information including copies of this new regulation.

 Source: Public Consultation No. 45.

Please contact Americas Compliance Consulting if you have any questions about how this may impact type approvals.

The regulation was enacted to regulate the activities of the telecommunications sector according to the provisions of Law No. 164 that was established on August 8th, 2011.

The Regulations will be controlled by the Authority for Telecommunications and Transportation (ATT) in Bolivia.

The general regulation, Law No. 164, was implemented to regulate the activities including:

• Radio Spectrum:  planning and updates to the national frequency plan including its usage.
• Homologation of equipment which will include the procedures and objectives.
• Distribution and allocation of frequencies for broadcasting
• Licences for the use of frequencies

There were a few changes  made from the draft document some items, such as the linking of the two tenders.  The two frequencies will be auctioned together, and winners of 2.5 GHz licenses will also  be required to take on 450 MHz licenses and have the responsibility  to role out in rural areas of Brazil.

If you have questions about this draft resolution or would like your telecom products approved in Brazil, contact Americas Compliance Consulting (866)331-0001 or sales@americascompliance.com.

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.

Latin America is a gigantic smart grid market opportunity for manufacturers wishing to see large growth opportunities… and Brazil is leading the way.  The Latin American market is approximately  equal to North America in land mass and a population of about 371 million, which is larger than the  U.S. and Canada combined. Brazil has about 196 million people and almost 61 million electricity meters, over 50% of all of Latin America. The term “BRIC” represents the fastest growing emerging global economies where the “B” is for Brazil which surpassed England in 2011 to become the world’s sixth largest economy with a 5.7% growth rate.

Brazil’s government  anticipates investing  USD$60 billion by 2014 in its energy sector, with smart grid technologies a top priority.  As an example, the government has a goal of 63 million smart meters by 2021. However, the economic justification challenge is significant, averaging the  monthly energy use ranging from 50 to 300 kWh and customer densities ranging from ten to thousands per square mile.

Brazil’s rapidly growing economy needs major grid improvements.  In looking at the  strong leadership and cooperative approach demonstrated by senior officials, utility, supplier and UTC representatives at a symposium, Brazil seems to be the smart grid driving force in Latin America. The government is learning from  the U.S. missteps  For example,  the failure to effectively communicate what the value is to  customer which resulted  in customers resistance and opt-out confusion. In Brazil’s case, being first to be second will allow them to progress more effectively. They can skip over partial  solutions and go immediately to a connected smart grid solution.

The Symposium demonstrated the universality of utility and customer needs among the Brazilian, European, Canadian and other participants. One novel discussion proposed customer meter ownership in conjunction with AMI to expedite adoption. Papers described multiple pilots covering PMUs, DA, meter reading and others. A neighborhood-area-network (NAN) discussion included a new 450 MHz LTE option.

“We are pleased that UTC has secured Brazilian government and utility support to establish UTC America Latina to help meet the utility industry’s information and communications technology needs throughout the region,” said Ron Beck UTC’s Chairman of the Board. “We look forward to serving as the voice of critical infrastructure communications in Latin America.