Nextel Brasil has quietly activated its 1800MHz network in Sao Paulo, Telesintese reports, citing comments by chief operating officer Jorge Braga. According to the executive, the 4G service went live on 31 December 2016, and comprises a total of 239 base transceiver stations (BTS). The Huawei-built network reportedly utilises a 4×4 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) platform, and is capable of delivering download speeds of up to 225Mbps. According to Braga, the LTE network is already serving around 400,000 active users.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Nextel acquired the 1800MHz frequencies in the December 2015 multi-band spectrum ‘leftovers’ auction held by the National Telecommunications Agency (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel). Nextel made the highest financial commitment of all of the bidders, pledging BRL455 million (USD143.7 million) for a block of 1800MHz spectrum covering Sao Paulo and Greater Sao Paulo. The frequencies were previously held by the now defunct Unicel (Aeiou).