Brazilian mobile start-up Unicel do Brasil Telecomunicacoes (Unicel) plans to begin tests of its new network in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area this October, ahead of a proposed commercial launch before the end of the year. According to BNamericas, citing a report from tech news site Computerworld, Unicel has selected Ericsson to supply equipment for the new network which will initially comprise 550 radio base stations.
In April this year, the country’s telecoms regulator Anatel gave final approval to Unicel for its GSM mobile licence in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, making it the city’s fourth operator alongside Vivo, TIM Brasil and América Movil’s unit Claro. Unicel was the sole bidder for the licence with an offer of BRL93.8 million (USD45 million). The operator estimates it will need to invest USD150 million in its network and operations before it can turn a profit, and has also selected Brazilian enterprise software supplier Microsiga, part of the software development group Totvsto provide an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.