May marked the arrival of 4G technology in Brazil. At least for now, only a few cities have been selected to get the news in preparation for the Confederations Cup, a tournament that will take place in June this year.
For 2014, the year of the World Cup in Brazil, the number of cities covered by 4G availability should increase. However, it is already possible to rent a 4G data plan in places with the fastest connections. Check out some of the options you might already find out there.
Cities where 4G is available
Brazil’s main operators Claro, Oi, TIM and Vivo are already offering 4G plans to their consumers. However, the number of cities that can rely on new technology is still small. With Anatel’s decision, the cities of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador were the first to receive 4G.
By December 31, faster plans should also be available in the following cities: Cuiabá, Curitiba, Manaus, Natal, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. However, some carriers have already foreseen and 4G plans may also be available in these locations. Operator Claro has added three other cities to its list: Búzios, Paraty and Campos do Jordão.
You will need a compatible device before purchasing a plan.
Most of the devices available in the Brazilian market are not yet compatible with the 4G frequency. Currently, there are only 11 Anatel-approved smartphones capable of supporting Brazilian 4G, but this number is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
Models compatible with Brazil 4G are as follows:
- Blackberry z10;
- LG Optimus F5;
- LG Optimus G;
- Motorola RAZR HD XT925;
- Nokia Lumia 820;
- Nokia lumia 920;
- Samsung Galaxy Express;
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2;
- Samsung Galaxy s3;
- Samsung Galaxy s4;
- Sony Xperia ZQ.
Minimum guaranteed speed
The main feature of 4G networks is that it is possible to surf at higher speeds. While in 3G the minimum guaranteed speed is 1 Mbps, in the case of 4G this number jumps to 5 Mbps. It is worth remembering that this is the minimum guaranteed speed and in either case this number could be much higher.
Initial tests with Claro’s 4G in Curitiba by Tecmundo were able to reach peaks of up to 70Mbps (full article on these tests can be found next week). Therefore, it is worth remembering that this is a minimum speed, and it is theoretically possible to achieve speeds of up to 100 Mbps, even if it costs almost your entire franchise.
4G pricing in Brazil
The difference in prices for 4G plans is huge. In addition, the value can exceed R$200 per month due to the possibility to customize packages along with other services and even include device replacement in your monthly fee. Know the values applied by the prime operators:
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Claro’s simplest plan includes unlimited local calls with 70 minutes and up to 2GB of data transfer. The monthly fee is R$138. The most complete plan with unlimited local calls and 200 minutes + area code, unlimited SMS and 5GB usage is R$243.70.
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Oi works with modular schemes, so it is possible to put together a large number of combinations. The simplest plan is unlimited OI 60 with 30 SMS and 5GB data allowance. The monthly fee is R$139. Unlimited Oi 220 with unlimited SMS and 5GB data entitlement is R$201.
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TIM is the carrier that offers the cheapest 4G plans, but the lowest data allowances. Liberty 50, for example, only includes a 300MB data package and costs R$70 per month. The most expensive package, the Liberty 200, costs R$153.80 and includes unlimited SMS and 600MB allowance. It is worth remembering that the speed drops to a small 50 Kbps when the franchise is exceeded, which can happen quickly on 4G.
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Vivo also has plenty of plans, but offers the highest data allowance of all carriers: 6GB. Another advantage is the possibility to register additional devices to use the same connection. However, the company is also the one with the most expensive plans.
The simplest with 2 GB downloadable and an additional device costs R$149 per month, while the most expensive one reaches R$569 per month with 6 GB downloadable and 5 additional devices.
Source: Tec Mundo
